


Newborn

by LuciaWilt



Series: Newborn [2]
Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: +some, Car Sex, F/M, M/M, Older Characters, Organized Crime, Ten Years Later, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-06-30 23:00:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15761484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuciaWilt/pseuds/LuciaWilt
Summary: The young photographer nearly forgot to snap pictures when the steps were brought down off the side of the jet and the passengers departed. The first one off, well, all of them; they looked like models. All four of them were 6 feet or taller. All were wearing tailored suits and what had to be Armani sunglasses; similar to the kind Asami wore.Ten years. Ten years Akihito has been with Asami; and he is realizing that the underworld can still surprise him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So "Flames" from the KHR universe are going to be canon in this fic, meaning people definitely do have flames. As to who does in the Loveprize group, that is yet to come. If you do have any questions about it, do not be afraid to ask me!

Butera in the summer was much hotter than most people expected. One would find themselves dripping sweat if they stayed out in the sun for too long, or they would very well near pass out from exhaustion. That was often typical of Northern Europeans and even Americans that would travel to Southern Italy for the summer. However, oh yes however, Donna Larue had become well acquainted with the heat. All of her life she had lived places that had someone panting from the heat. It was Texas first, then New Mexico, Southern California, to Alabama and then Southern Georgia. Then she ended up in Butera. Yes, Donna Larue loved warm weather. And spent all her time out in it as well; considering she was a mechanic. Though of course she could have gotten a garage of her own long ago, or even just work in a garage now; but she was too set in her ways. No one had ever called her patient and willing to compromise one what she wanted. 

That’s where Tsuna found her; head buried under the hood of Xanxus’s 3 million USD, midnight black Bugatti Chiron. He had business in Moscow that he needed to get done, and she was not exactly needed, not on a two-day trip. That’s why before they left they had dropped her off in Butera, at the Varia headquarters. Tsuna was able to relax during his business, knowing that she and Xanxus were strangely very close friends. So the dark haired Varia leader would not end up hurting her. Or if he did, it was an accident. It also helped that Xanxus had mellowed out quite a bit since the time Tsuna was a teenager all those years ago. 

He was not all that shocked that she had found her way to Xanxus’s car though. Tsuna himself owned a Bugatti Chiron, but he never really tinkered with it. Xanxus on the other hand… well let us just say he babied the car more than he would a living human child. He had allowed her to “supe” it up time and time again; Donna actually being the one to have painted it midnight black. 

As close to the coast as they were, and with the summer sun beating down upon the Earth, Donna opted to pin her long blonde hair up upon her head in a messy bun. Tsuna observed her cutoff shorts and the cut t-shirt, old pieces she had since she herself was just 15 or 16 back in America. With the beat up old Nikes she had put on her feet, she completed her look; and Tsuna honestly thought she pulled it off. Though he thought she looked good in mostly everything. As long as Donna was comfortable and relaxed with herself, she looked breathtaking. With the light breeze coming from the ocean gently pushing her fly-always back and forth, Tsuna nearly turned around and let her continue messing around with whatever she had done to the Chiron under the hood. 

However, considering she was his mechanic, he could not just leave her in Butera; even with how happy it made her. 

“Donna. I see you have been keeping yourself busy.” Tsuna said, finally making himself known. She pushed her upper torso out from underneath the hood and spun around with a smile, her thick sunglasses resting on her forehead and spots of oil smudged on her cheek and chin. Her skin, naturally without the sun, was a little darker than Xanxus’s; more red undertones than grey like the Varia leader’s. 

“Back from Moscow so soon Tsuna? I am hopping that means business went better than expected. You weren’t supposed to get back until,” She paused then, pulling out her phone and glancing at the date. “Well you weren’t supposed to get back until Friday.” And it was true. Just now Wednesday, it would seem strange since while the Vongola were as strong as they were, families and organizations still liked to mess around. 

He nodded, walking towards the car and stopping by her side. Tsuna gave the engine and all its parts a quick glance, confidently noting that he had no idea what was going on with all of it. That was the reason why he had someone like her with him. When his eyes slid back to her, Donna was getting the black grease and oil off of her skin. She then turned and reached up to the hood that had been latched to stay hovering above her head. It always kind of amazed Tsuna. He was not overly tall by any stretch of the imagination. He had only hit 6 feet tall when he finished college, while all of his guardians were well over 6 feet at that point; even Lambo who was only now entering his second year of high school. 

At 6 foot, most women were actually shorter than him, whether that be by an inch or even a foot. Kyoko, Hana, and Chrome were all 5’5” or shorter. Yet Donna, his sweet Donna, was exactly Tsuna’s height. He was not sure if it was because she was American, or the fact that her father was French, he had no idea. Either way, it was immensely refreshing being on equal footing with her. 

“Well,” Donna started, pushing the hood back so it clicked into place. She then turned to him, getting the grime off her hands with the same rag she used for her face. With her sunglasses now resting over her eyes, Tsuna could not see the blue he would usually be looking into; though that was not a problem. He knew their eyes were connected. “Should I go get my stuff?” She finished her question as they turned and started back towards the door that lead into the base. After the problems with the Millifiore all those years ago, Tsuna and Xanxus both decided it would be better if the Varia moved to a more remote location; one that did not stick out like an old castle did. Therefore they built a large base by the sea; fortified but still modern and sleek. 

Opening the door for her, Tsuna allowed Donna to pass in first, back into the AC where he was comfortable. “No. We will be dining with Xanxus first tonight, and just him. Squalo and his other guardians are out of the country right now.” And it wasn’t like Xanxus needed all of his guardians protecting him. He was the leader of the Varia, and almost leader of the Vongola, for a reason. “We will then be heading to Japan, Tokyo to be exact.” 

That got her attention. Now with her sunglasses hanging on the front of her cut t-shirt, she paused, blinking over in his direction. Tsuna was so glad they were out of the heat. He had already started to sweat, not five minutes outside. Though he was in black slacks, a white button down, and expensive shiny black loafers. “Japan? What in the world are we going to do there?” It was one of the few places he had a permanent residence. It was there, Central Texas, New Zealand, and Italy where the main base was. And at those multiple locations, he always had cars; so there was a quick excuse to bring her along. Though that was not the real reason for this trip. 

“I will be meting with a powerful Yakuza head. He is older than me, just turned 45,” So it was not as though he was that much older than Tsuna who was 40. “He has decided to slow down some, move his assets around.” And he knew she would catch onto the double meaning of that. “Slowing down” in their world meant cutting back on their illegal enterprises. Which when Tsuna took over the Vongola, they did just that; even when he was just in his 20’s. Of course they still did dabble here and there in things like arms dealings, but they did not touch drugs nor did they even think about going near human trafficking. Tsuna could still remember a night long ago when Donna held him as he sobbed and sobbed; the darkness getting to him. The Vongola was the most powerful mafia family in the world, but that did not mean the darker side of their universe did not rear its ugly head here and there. 

She hummed, nodding as they continued on to the dining hall. Unsurprisingly, Xanxus was not there yet. They both were not expecting him to arrive until they were finished with their first course; so they simply started without him. Not that they had never done it before; both had just learned that Xanxus did not care, and they would go hungry waiting. “That answers what we are doing but,” Donna stopped, taking a sip from her wine glass. Tsuna watched while she did so, the light from the windows across the room played on her dark skin. Even her hair looked as though it were glowing; golden and unruly. “Why exactly would I be going along? I assume it won’t take an extended period of time.” When Tsuna took her places, it did usually take well over a week; sometimes up to a month. Most acquisition movements took about three to four days. 

“You are getting smarter and smarter.” He sighed into his own glass while Donna smiled. “Asami Ryuichi has a partner, just a year younger than you.” Donna nodded. “And he is about as wild as you as well.” It was a jab at her preference towards t-shirts and jeans instead of the designer clothing Tsuna always bought her, a jab but nothing too serious. He always teased her about it; calling her a country girl that needed to be a in a pick-up truck. She didn’t mind; considering that’s how she grew up in all honesty. 

“You want me to entertain…” She paused. 

“Him. Akihito Takaba. And yes. Just keep him away from the dealings. From what I have been told, he is a reporter and tends to stick his nose into places he should not.” Tsuna finished, sounding very much like the strongest underworld leader in the world. And Donna’s reaction was not all that surprising. For a Yakuza to be in a relationship with a reporter? It was unheard of. It was like if Donna was law enforcement. 

The blonde hummed as Xanxus finally entered the room. At 50 years old, Xanxus did not look all that much different than he did when he was 30. His hair was indeed greying some, and there were some small wrinkles around his eyes; but that was about it. The rest of the dinner went by with them chatting quietly about Tsuna’s business in Moscow. 

Yes it went well. 

No there were no physical alteractions. 

Yes, not even a physical altercation involving Gokudera. 

No he would not be going back to Moscow any time soon. He disliked the cold. 

It continued on like that, the quiet questions passing between Donna, Tsuna, and Xanxus. And before too long, Xanxus finished his meal; which indicated Donna and Tsuna were finished as well. The servers came in ad quickly took their plates away, allowing the three of them to stand and reconvene in the front hall that lead to Xanxus’s main office. The older man stopped, turning towards Tsuna. 

“I will need an update when you get to Japan. I also need you to alert me if a problem arises. Make sure to be specific. I do not want to send all of my men if it is something just Squalo can handle.” He finished, not even bothering to hear Tsuna’s response, though the brunette was just smiling knowingly. Xanxus was quick and to the point; his age making him far calmer than he was when he was in his 20’s. Tsuna did not mind it at all. He preferred this Xanxus actually; it allowed them to do business without a shouting match or one of them pulling a gun on the other. 

Xanxus large scarred hand reached out and pulled Donna into a tight hug, only highlighting how close the two of them actually were. It was rare, rare for Xanxus that is. Donna was sociable to a fault, which always seemed strange in contrast. Yet Xanxus adored her to the moon and back. His arms slipped around her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He was still taller than both her and Tsuna after all. Tsuna could not quite pinpoint Xanxus’s feelings towards the younger woman. Often times he would think they were more familial; but then the way Xanxus held her said otherwise.

He finally pulled back some, cupping her tanned cheeks in his hands. They stared at each other for a moment before Xanxus placed a chaste kiss upon her forehead, Donna hiding a warm smile in response. “You as well Donna. Keep him safe but most of all keep yourself safe.” Xanxus whispered into her cheek before pulling away completely; turning to walk down the hall. “Have a good trip.” He said before disappearing deeper into the house. With him gone, Donna turned and glanced in Tsuna’s direction. 

“Let me get my stuff and then we can head to the airport.” 

~’~

Ten years. Ten long years Akihito has been married to Asami Ryuichi. It had been ten long years, but Akihito would not trade them for the world. He was a different person, better. Both of them had mellowed out to an incredible degree; both giving to each other’s requests and demands far more than they used to. Asami would often even go out with Akihito. Not on a fancy date in the limo or the town car, just the two of them walking downtown; zigzagging through parks and eating dirt cheap ramen. 

Asami, in a few years, would be turning fifty years old; and Akihito could already see how much more the older man had slowed down. He would not stay out until four in the morning doing his illegal business any longer. He would even sleep until ten on most days; Akihito waking up still wrapped in Asami’s arms. Not that he was complaining, it was just different. Akihito himself would have never told or even asked Asami to stop his “criminal” life; so a part of the young blonde was happy Asami was starting to slow it down himself. 

“Akihito.” Asami’s deep voice had him glancing up, having forgotten that he was in Asami’s home office, relaxing back on the long couch. Their eyes caught and he realized that Asami had been speaking to him. So he sat up straighter. 

“Hmm?” Akihito hummed in the back of his throat right as his eyes went back to the laptop screen in his lap. It was not only Asami that had been slowing down. Akihito himself still was in criminal photojournalism, but he was in his 30’s; and even if his mind could be quick about it, his body was starting to slow down on him. Because of that, Akihito often took wedding jobs; those and modeling gigs. When he zoned out, he had been cleaning up some wedding photos he took the previous week. The happy couple stared back up at him as he blurred the young woman’s skin. 

For a moment, Asami was silent and Akihito nearly looked up with a questioning glance. However, Akihito had learned better over the year. If he looked up, he would still get flushed at Asami’s intense stare. That had not changed over the decade, it probably would never change. Plus, Akihito realized about four years ago that Asami was often just looking at Akihito in the long stretches of silence. There was no implication behind the gaze; just taking Akihito’s form in, putting certain aspects of his appearance to memory. “I can only assume that you were not listening to me.” Asami started once again, a shuffling paper noise coming from his desk indicating that he had turned away from Akihito. A quick glance from the younger male out of the corner of his eye confirmed his suspicions. “So I will tell you again. I am having guests this Saturday,” his eyes trailed over to the corner of his laptop, showing that it was Thursday now. “I would like for you to not engage them, and to stay clear.” 

Now that got Akihito’s attention. Asami had decided to include Akihito in at least the bare minimum interactions with other organizations since the whole debacle with Mikhail all those years ago. That had been such an obstacle that the only way to keep Akihito safe was to divulge information to him; the best defense being the best offense and all that. So for Asami to just call him off with no information prior? Akihito felt his yearning to his photojournalism action camera. It was at the penthouse and he felt like he would be using it in the coming week. 

It was quite clear that Asami had grown to read Akihito just as much as Akihito had grown to read Asami. There was another pause before Asami chuckled. That had Akihito glancing up, finding the older man leaning back in his chair, those sharp eyes on him with his hands resting on his stomach; the epitome of power. “Do not even think about it. Just ask instead. You know I’ll give you as much as I can.” Well that was easier than Akihito thought it would be. Perhaps Fei Long had a point; that Asami was wrapped around Akihito’s little finger and the younger male was not even fully aware of it. 

It was Akihito’s turn to pause in thought. Ask him…. Ask him as much as he could. Akihito was not afraid to push the limits. It wasn’t like Asami would kick him out or kill him; they were past that point in their relationship, where Akihito would be worried about something like that. “Guests…” Asami nodded. “Where are they from?” 

Asami looked proud. Akihito had learned quite a bit over the years; and one of the most important things to know about a person is where they are from. That told a full story about that individual or that organization; what language they were likely to speak, their taste if food, clothing, activities, and the list went on. “They are from Italy. A mafia family, old family actually.” 

Old family? “Why add on the descriptor?” Akihito was thinking about what constituted old. They were from Italy, and Asami said an “old” family. Did that mean they were physically old in age? Or what? All Akihito could think about was the Hollywood movie The Godfather. 

“Think older than your precious camera Akihito.” That was…nebulous at best. That gave a general age to their family. It was obviously written all over his face that he was not pleased with the reply, causing Asami to chuckle and expand. “Their family was founded in 1697.” 

“What the fuck?” Akihito slapped his hands over his mouth, flushing from the roots of his hair to the tips of his toes. He still cussed, just not quite like that; and especially not so much in front of Asami, not anymore at least. Yet the black-haired male simply waved his hand, indicating that he did not care. Though that gave Akihito the opportunity to push forwards to a different topic. “So they were founded in 1697. What…” Should he? Hell yeah. Akihito Takaba was not one to step down from a challenge. “What is their name? The family name that is?” Asami just tilted his head to the side. 

“You are an investigator are you not? You have the date their family was created and the location; I can only assume you should be able to pull their name from that information one way or another. Now off you go Akihito. I have business to complete and you are distracting me.” Another thing about Asami mellowing out with age was that he actually did his work; that being the legal side of his business. Akihito liked that he was not sore every day of his life anymore, but he did miss the excitement and naughty facet to it all. Either way, he stood, collecting all of his equipment. Before leaving the office, he placed a kiss on Asami’s lips; whispering that he would have dinner ready when he got home later that night. 

~’~

The airport was concerningly quiet when Akihito got there in the morning. Of course he had to arrive much, MUCH, earlier than Asami and his men; after avoiding the guards that had been placed on him. It took some time, but eventually he was able to hide his bike, a present Asami got him for Akihito’s 30’s birthday. Gathering his equipment, Akihito found a good hiding spot along the strip he knew Asami’s guests used. Then it just became a waiting game. Slowly the sun came up and the airport started to pick up steam. More arrivals came and departures took off. 

It was not until just around 12 o’clock that the Asami showed up; looking quite annoyed to Akihito’s trained eye. He would apologize to the Yakuza later, but right now the naturally curious and inquisitive investigator inside of Akihito was scratching at the surface. He hunkered down, pulling his camera up and taking a few pictures of Asami just waiting on the tarmac.

This was another part of Akihito’s day to day life he would never tire of. Just looking at Asami, taking in those striking features. The years did wonders for the older man. He gained a few wrinkles here and there, and just a few silvery hairs; but Asami really looked about as young as the day Akihito met him if not for those other things. He was naturally ethereal in the most masculine way, time barely affected him. 

Akihito had a couple dozen photos of Asami in the mid-morning light before a sleek black private jet landed. Its arrival had Akihito hunkering down further in his hiding spot off the side of the tarmac behind dense bushes. Slowly the plane came to a stop and Asami got ready to meet these guests. 

The young photographer nearly forgot to snap pictures when the steps were brought down off the side of the jet and the passengers departed. The first one off, well, all of them; they looked like models. All four of them were 6 feet or taller. All were wearing tailored suits and what had to be Armani sunglasses; similar to the kind Asami wore. 

Even the beautiful blonde woman was dressed in a suit which fit her to a T. Her long locks had been pinned to the top of her head in a messy bun, similar to the styles Akihito had seen at a dozen of his photoshoots.

He was snapping so many pictures as the group greeted each other, completely engrossed in what was going on, that Akihito did not even notice the blonde woman’s posture shift slightly. Her body had turned just a touch in his direction, something he had not picked up on as he “scratched” his curiosity itch. One of the other men, the tallest one with darker skin and short black hair, noticed her attention being pulled to what could have only been some bushes. 

Luckily, Akihito’s reaction time was still almost inhumanly high; because if it had not been, he would not have been able to avoid the pocket knife that flew into the small tree right beside his head. It was only then did he realize he had been spotted, somehow, by the woman. All of Asami’s men looked panicked, glancing at the woman’s relaxing form after she just threw the knife with pin-point accuracy. The other Italians did not looked phased in the slightest, only just glancing over at the bushes before turning back towards Asami, continuing the conversation they had been having. That seemed to calm everyone down, only taking a few quick glances again at the tree line before all piling into Asami’s town cars. 

Akihito knew he was hidden well enough. He used that spot before and had never been spotted. Yet somehow, somehow the blonde woman knew he had been there. She stared right where he was until her face disappeared into the black town car. 

Oh yes, he would have to drop by Kou’s before heading back to the penthouse. Akihito had some research to do. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, there is a reason why I made Tsuna not really care about gaining power over Asami. That being, Tsuna and his family really just don't care about having a lot of power in general. They already have it because of the name Vongola, and they keep it/enforce their power, but they aren't in the market to expand. So forming an partnership between himself and Asami would cut down on violence and would actually be beneficial to both of them. Also, Asami is wealthy out the asshole by this point. Cutting down on his trading routes won't affect his bottom line in the slightest.

Once settled in the pent house of the resort styled hotel Asami put them up in, and that he owned, Donna knew she had to speak with Tsuna and the others about what had happened at the tarmac; though she suspected that they were well aware. Tsuna had been, after all, trained by the best assassin in the world. Something would have been wrong with him if he had not sensed the man lurking in the bushes off the side of the runway. Honestly, Donna had been slightly surprised that Mukuro had not moved to apprehend the individual. The Mist user tended to spook people like that for his own amusement; whether they were friend or foe did not matter to him. 

Seated around the sleek dining table in the penthouses kitchen area, with the view through the glass wall on either side of them, Tsuna turned to Donna. She was seated to his right with him at the head of the table. Mukuro was closer to the other end of the piece of furniture while Yamamoto was two seats away form Tsuna on his left. “So?” Tsuna started with a smile. 

“I can only assume that it was the photographer that was at the tarmac. If he is an investigative photojournalist, he would surely be intrigued by Italian mobsters showing up; especially if they are being greeted by the person he shares a home with.” Though it could not be that out of the ordinary for Asami Ryuichi to be bringing wealthy and dangerous people into his fold. Surely Akihito Takaba was just a curious young cat. That had to be it; and that his time spent with Asami had not erased his curious nature from him completely. “It is a good thing his senses are as fast as I thought they would be.” That was punctuated by a giggle from her, Tsuna shaking his head knowingly, Yamamoto laughing, and Mukuro doing his usual chuckle that resonated in the air like visible sound waves. “So what is the plan for the time we are here?”

She knew the general key points, but not the specifics. And considering they were already in Tokyo, she thought it was prudent to finally ask for him to fill in the blanks. “I will be meeting with Asami in the morning,” He glanced at his watch, noting that it was nearing the late afternoon. It had taken much longer to get from the airport to the hotel; the late afternoon traffic and the distance adding to the slog. Not that any of them minded. Tsuna was in no rush, it just surely smarted Asami. It was around a decade ago when Tsuna allowed Asami to take gain control over Japan. It had been on behest and suggestion from Reborn, the assassin knowing full well Tsuna needed to prioritize things. Asami was neutral towards the Vongola, so there was no worry that he would actively search out anyone affiliated to his family. 

So with Asami gaining control over Japan, and Tsuna moving on, the head of the Vongola dedicated any communication with Asami and his men to Xanxus. It seemed like a good match; especially with how much calmer Xanxus was as the years went by. Today was actually the first time he and Asami Ryuichi had ever met face to face, only having email correspondence beforehand. “Akihito is aware of Asami’s “business” so that is not the problem, he just does not know that Asami is downsizing.” It was Mukuro that scoffed, piping in for the first time; speaking directly at Tsuna.

A part of Tsuna had thought about not taking Mukuro. The head of the Vongola had a possessive streak a mile long and Mukuro and Donna were thick as thieves. It bugged the hell out of him. However, Mukuro was the quickest out of all of his guardians. And while he could be rather, bombastic to say the least, Mukuro rarely brought his emotions into things. “Power makes men prideful. Asami Ryuichi clings to it like a shield, when he knows very well that Akihito Takaba will not leave him for downsizing his illegal enterprise. I can only assume that it will have the opposite effect. After a damn decade.” He muttered the rest of the sentence under his breath, but Tsuna did not need to know the contents. It was not like he disagreed. Mukuro was right. Surely Asami was a good man at heart; Tsuna and the Vongola had not had any troubles with him in the past. However, Mukuro was making an “ass” out of “you and me”, going about assuming things he would never be able to know for sure without extensive research. And it was doubtful that Mukuro cared enough to find out.

“Either way, I guess I will meet Akihito tomorrow?” Donna asked, cutting everyone’s attention back to her. Tsuna nodded. 

“I do not need Asami worried in any form or fashion about stepping into the unknown like he is. Even the strongest man can be cowed by downsizing. Because of that, Yamamoto is going to come with me to the office. Mukuro will follow you and Akihito,” Tsuna turned back towards the older male. His long dark hair was braided into a chord, something that Donna had done on the plane. Those heterochromatic eyes found Tsuna’s brown. “Stay back from them though. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary. We do not know how much Akihito knows about us or even if he knows about something as simple as flames. You would spook him into next week if you appeared unprompted. Then if you do have to intervene in any fashion; just tell the truth. Be honest about how you are and what you are doing, which is guarding the Decimo’s family.” The Vongola head left no room for discussion, turning back towards Donna and Yamamoto. “Is everything understood?” 

The blonde nodded, as well as his childhood friend. So that settled it. His mission now was to smoothly guide Asami into downsizing his business. 

~’~

The Sion building was just about as big and as beautiful as Tsuna was expecting it to be. Considering Asami was the CEO of an actual legal business enterprise, he had to have things in order before he could do anything about his sketchier dealings. Tsuna understood fully that Asami did not have to worry about that. Everything was in tip top shape as he and Yamamoto were guided into the buildings lobby.

The floors were glistened and polished to a white shine and twinkle. All the furniture was black and silver steel, only adding to the modernistic look and feel of everything. Men and women dressed sharply in expensive suits and pressed pencil skirts rushed by in the early morning hectic rush of arriving to work; though many unsurprisingly stopped and stared at Tsuna and Yamamoto when they were walked by. It was something that Tsuna absolutely had to get used to when he finally finished puberty and all the training that Reborn put him through. Though, for Yamamoto, that was something he had always been on the receiving end of. Even back in high school, when he had just turned 16, he looked more like a university student on the baseball team than anything else. 

“Please follow me this way. There is an elevator that goes directly to Asami-sama’s office so we will not have to make any stops on an extraneous floor.” Kirishima Kei, Asami’s “assistant” and what Tsuna would call Asami’s right hand man, led the two of them pass the long bank of elevators. They came to a “T” at the end, then took a right. After another left in the nearly shining hallways, they came to a door which Kirishima used a card reader on. When the door opened, Tsuna realized that they were stepping onto said elevator that he spoke of.

“This is a brilliant elegant building. Members of Sion,” And Tsuna meant the legal workers, though he did also mean the side Kirishima was well aware of. “should be proud to be employed at such an establishment.” It wasn’t like the Vongola needed such a location. They were the mafia through and through, no front business. However, the Italian government were pretty much in the Vongola’s pocket, knowing that the Vongola were a fighting force well worth it. So they looked the other way while Tsuna and his family protected the people of Italy.

It was almost like Kirishima blushed at the praise. It was good Sion knew of Vongola. Yes Tsuna himself was half Japanese, and he used to have a much bigger footprint in Japan, but they were still the founding family that worked in Flames. The Vongola and their subsidiaries were the ones to create any and all technology that advanced and boosted Flames. Not only that, but the Vongola were the oldest established family in the world. Yes Asami may be new money and have an iron ruling fist in the east, but Tsuna was _OLD_ money and he had conquered the west. As the three rode up in the elevator, he wonder as to why he and Asami had not made a partnership in the past; and also started to formulate a game plan to establish said relationship. 

“Asami-sama has worked hard to build his empire. There was some rough spots near the beginning, but we were able to iron those out.” Kirishima was a smart man it seemed; well are of the fact that if both sides placated one another, the relationship moving forwards would work much better in the long run. Perhaps he was thinking the same thing as Tsuna, that it would be beneficial for both parties to establish any sort of trading route and comradeship. “He actually had studies some old Vongola text, I believe it was the third or fourth generation. Though he did glance at Vongola Primo’s works and notes as well.” Now Tsuna was actually a little surprised at that. He knew his family’s organizational skills were better than most; but to study a known “rival”? Quite interesting. It was no wonder Asami and Xanxus had gotten along in the past. 

Though Tsuna was unable to say much of anything else. The doors to the top floor opened and they were let out into a rather expansive office that quite clearly took up much of the top floor. It was actually quite similar to those offices he would see in movies growing up; that the “big bad CEO” would use. Though that pretty much was an apt description of Asami. The man was standing by the window, looking out over the Tokyo skyline. Just as Tsuna expected, and as he had seen the day before, Asami was even more handsome in person than he was in his photos. There were some greys in his hair here and there, but nothing like someone who controlled half the globe should have had. When he turned to look at the new comers, there was a small smile on his face. 

And his greeting was in Italian. While Tsuna was impressed that he learned such a thing, he simply shook his head and smiled as well, walking forwards with his hand out. Asami was a bit taller than Tsuna, but very little intimidated the don of the Vongola any longer. Reborn had trained that all out of him long ago. “I thank you for making me comfortable, but I was born in Japan and I am fluent in Japanese. We can stay speaking Japanese.” Asami blinked a few times, his face neutral and blank for a moment before he smirked, obviously far more comfortable now that he wasn’t on uneven footing. 

Though of course he did not thank Tsuna for the language switch; not that the brunette was expecting him to. He had dealt with “bigger” and “badder” guys in the past. Asami was the strongest Yakuza, but the chance of him physically attacking Tsuna, Yamamoto, Mukuro, and Donna were slim to none. They were pretty much on neutral ground with a dog that had a big bark but no bite. 

“Please, take a seat.” Asami said, motioning the two of them into the stunning meeting room attached to his office. He used another key card to get in; obviously because the other door in the room lead out into assumedly the only hallway on this floor. They followed him in and got situated as Kirishima quickly got all the glasses of water. Tsuna himself liked to drink wine, but Yamamoto had almost completely kicked any alcohol in any form. “We should get started.” Asami said as Kirishima sat down beside him. “So as you know I have decided to liquidize most of my assets.” Assets meaning his illegal businesses that most governments would not want to deal with. “From my understanding, you and your family have been in the process of liquidizing since you became the boss. I must admit that I would usually not ask for help and advice from another family but this is rather,” He paused and Tsuna knew exactly what was going through his mind. It was the young blonde partner that Donna would be entertaining while this was going on. “Important. It has become an issue that I cannot push back any longer.”

Asami leaned back, his age showing for a moment. It was quite clear that Asami cared deeply for Akihito, that he was swallowing his pride and asking for help from another family; just so he can keep Akihito safer. “It is not issue for us. I am happy to help out. And if something comes up that needs to be addressed that Yamamoto or I cannot cover, then I can contact Reborn and he can fly here to Japan as well. That will not be a problem.” Asami and Kirishima both nodded. There was no need for Tsuna to puff his feathers and start problems. Being nicer was always the way he worked anyways.

Kirishima stood and exited the room for a moment, the silence enveloping the three men before the assistant strolling back with a stack of papers. He handed Tsuna and Yamamoto copies, then turned and took a seat beside his boss once again. “We have decided to completely liquidate our drug routes.” He flipped the papers, seeing what they were talking about. Just as Kirishima stated, they were going to close down any and all routes within Asia. 

He flipped through some more of the pages. “You are keeping your arms routes? I assume you were not working with human trafficking as well?” There was a beat of silence that had both Yamamoto and Tsuna looking up at the same time, eyebrows raised in a question. Asami’s eyes were boring into the table while Kirishima looked a little frazzled, somehow keeping most of the nervous energy down.

Somehow. 

“Is there a problem? I’m going to need honesty right now. Liquidating the assets of different routes and products is a large tasks. I need all the information that you can provide me and I need transparency when it comes to these aspects of your business.”

Finally Asami spoke up again. “I have worked with Liu Fei Long, in both my arms routes and with…” He paused. “And with human trafficking. Not as much. Fei Long is working much more with that then I am. When I first came in contact with Akihito, I started to stop working with Fei Long in that part of my business; at least much less than I used to.”

Tsuna hummed in acknowledgement before Yamamoto leaned over, whispering into his ear. “Donna says she and Akihito are on their way to the shopping center in Harajuku.” And he sat back up. 

Tsuna was asking for transparency from Asami, so he decided he might as well and be transparent as well. It wasn’t as though Asami did not know about what Donna was doing. “No worries. Yamamoto was just giving me an update on Donna and Akihito. The two of them are currently headed to Harajuku. Donna often gets quite excited when she comes to a new city; she likes to say she doesn’t like to shop but her actions say something quite different.” That seemed to lift the mood some and they were able to get back into discussion. 

Apparently Asami really did control all of Asia, or at the very least the biggest routes. Fei Long would soon become the biggest provider of both narcotics and humans. “I assume you will be continuing with your legal work with Sion? The trading, real estate, and everything else that may involve.” Tsuna did not have as much command when it came to the legal side of the world. After becoming the Vongola Decimo, he left that life behind him. Even his mother was more engulfed in the underworld. It wasn’t like she worked out of the house before that anyways. She had always been a stay at home mother. Now Tsuna could take care of her with ease; even though she insisted to stay in Namimori.

“Kirishima can get those papers to you.”

~’~

Akihito had a whirlwind of a morning, that much he knew. He had done his research the night before at Kou’s, fully aware of the fact he could have just gone home to the pent house, but not wanting to give Asami the satisfaction of Akihito being interested in what was going on. Once he did get home though, Asami was quick to show him that the years did little to slow the older man down in bed. It was just like that. They had been together for a decade and their sex life and their romantic life still felt so new. 

That’s why Akihito was barely able to roll out of bed when he heard someone knocking on the front door. He found it kind of odd. The guards would have just come in and alerted him through the bedroom door. Yet, if it was someone dangerous, they also would not have let them up to the pent house floor. So Akihito could only assume it was someone safe, but did not have the “clearance” to just come into the pent house when Asami said they could. So Akihito, with his shaky legs and soar hips, quickly got dressed in his jeans and threw on a t-shirt before rushing to the front door. Without checking the peep hole, he threw the door open and his brain nearly short wired. 

A woman was standing in front of him, dressed in fashionable high wasted shorts, cute boots, and a cuter bralette looking shirt. Her long blond hair was pinned to the top of her hair which showed off her light-colored eyes and deeply tan skin. Clearly she was not Japanese, and the dark color of her skin was natural; not just the product of laying out to tan or going to a bed. 

“You must be Akihito.” She greeted, voice rough but in a rather pleasant way, like she just got over a cold or something. Perhaps the correct term was smoky. He didn’t even realize she was speaking English until a few beats later. A few years back he started learning, knowing full well of how much Asami traveled and would often take Akihito along with him; for Sion business of course. Because of that, he thought English was a good neutral language. 

Finally Akihito snapped himself out of his blank state, his mind having wondered off to where he had seen the woman standing before him. “Ah yes. I, um, please come in.” He pushed the door open some and allowed her to walk around him. She was strikingly tall, at least a handful of inches taller than him. Though she did stop a few feet away, waiting for Akihito to do something, anything. “Oh. Um, would you like some water?”

Once again, Akihito did not see the err of his ways until she was seated at his kitchen table, somehow miraculously missing both is and Asami’s regular seats. She was taking measured sips of the water, observing the expansive open concept pent house she was currently in. “It is a beautiful place. I’m sure Asami likes it more now that you are here.” She paused, almost looking sheepish after what she had just said, then turned to him. His own face had twisted into a rip of fear and anxiety. “Wait. Akihito. I’m not here to hurt you. Far from it actually. I’m a…friend of Asami’s guests. The Italian ones.” And then it hit him. This woman. She was the same blonde he had seen on the tarmac. Asami really was opening up much more about his illegal dealings, especially if he sent someone from an Italian mafia family to his house. “Please trust me when I say I am hanging around you because I genuinely want to hang out with you, but I am also here to protect you. Tsuna, my boss and my good friend, him being in Japan is bound to cause trouble.”

That curious itch in the back of Akihito’s head flared up. There were so many things he could ask her, so many things he could dig for. She seemed kind, her claim that she would protect him seemingly genuine; at least in his eyes. For a moment, they just stared at each other, and then his will snapped. “Tsuna? The mafia don?” 

The woman made an affirmative noise in the back of her throat as she patted the seat next to him. Good. That was a good start. “He is the Don of the Vongola family.” That much he was aware of. There was so little on them when he did his research. Other than getting the name Tsuna, Akihito had pretty much been left in the dark. “His full name is Sawada Tsunayoshi. He is actually half Japanese and half Italian.” 

Akihito sat after having gotten a glass of water himself. While he so wanted to write all of this down, he had grown to know better. Some things were, as Asami said, better left un-checked. If that meant he just had to scratch this curiosity itch for his own gain, then so be it. “And you? Oh shit! I’m so sorry. I did not even ask for you name, since, well, you know you already know mine.” But the woman just shrugged her shoulders, obviously not upset.

“My name is Donna. I’m… hmm. Well I am his mechanic. Though I guess you could say I’m also his interim Lightening Guardian. Lambo is too young still; and Tsuna needs to have all of his guardians on duty and on call, especially with the long line of enemies that the Vongola have.” 

Uh, holy shit? This was far more than Akihito thought he was going to get. Donna was forthcoming with all of the information. His mechanic? Well she was rather beautiful for a mechanic. It made Akihito wonder if there was another reason as to why Tsuna kept her around. And Guardians? Lambo? Lightening guardian? That meant there was more than one. And of course, the Vongola were old and powerful, but to have that many enemies? Asami had the powerful part of that down pat, but he wasn’t getting bombarded with attacks on a daily basis. Perhaps there was more going on behind the scenes that Akihito was unaware of. He felt his brain twisting and eating at itself, so much so that he did not notice the smile that had been on Donna’s face falter some. 

“Wait. Did I just say something I wasn’t supposed to? Tsuna told me about things I shouldn’t bring up.” 

“No…or well, maybe. I don’t know. You said something about you being a lightening guardian? And that there were others? What does that all mean?” The frown did not falter as Donna placed the cup of water back onto the table. 

“You don’t know anything about flames? About the Vongola?” Her voices faded some at the end of her question, like she wasn’t sure she should be bringing it up. But Akihito just shook his head, only affirming her suspicions. He had nod idea what she was talking about. Flames, what the Vongola does aside from the regular mafia organized crime stuff, why she would be chugging around with the don; he knew absolutely nothing. Silence, somehow comfortable even though they just met each other, enveloped the two of them. It was Donna that spoke up again. “I do not think it would be appropriate for me to tell you about all that. Personally, it would probably be better if Tsuna or Asami himself spoke about it. But right now, let’s go out; show me around Tokyo! We can get back to those harder subjects later." 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sdifoasdifao I'm trying yall.

Mukuro had stayed out of it for the most part, keeping out of the way of Donna and Akihito. He was no fool. Over the years he had come to realize that Vongola Decimo was much more powerful than he let on. The mousy boy had turned into a formidable opponent, no longer fearful of his life whenever Mukuro was around. Therefore, he followed the rules when he was asked, or more like ordered to. Being a body guard for the temporary lightening guardian and a Yakuza’s kept boy was not difficult. It was when he started to feel a malicious aura hovering on the corner of his senses that things started to get a little stickier than he wanted it to. 

There was no doubt about it that it was Russian in origin. Mukuro just had been in Moscow with Tsuna after all. Though Mukuro could not tell at that distance if it was Mikhail’s men or someone else. They had to be at a seaport at that distance. That or at an airport; either one seemed accurate if here was judging the length from where he was.

“Well that changes Tsuna’s plans. Time to switch to situation Beta.” So he misted away, showing up in the alleyway across the street at ground level. He made sure no one saw him of course. Getting his weapon gone was easy as he walked across the street to the store Akihito and Donna were in. Coming up behind Donna, he introduced himself; though he was sure Donna already felt his approach. She wasn’t the interim lightening guardian for nothing. 

“Hello Mukuro.” She said right as Akihito jumped about ten feet in the air. The shorter blonde looked absolutely frazzled at his sudden appearance, though Donna was quick to assuage his fears. “It is alright. He is one of Tsuna’s men. This is Mukuro Rokudo. He is Tsuna’s Mist guardian.” Donna explained, motioning toward Mukuro as she spoke, not she was not exactly looking at him. She knew he was not a threat so she could let her guard down around him. His aura was pretty recognizable after all; and quite hard to copy or fake. 

Akihito on the other hand, the poor boy looked about as spooked as a ghost. His tan skin went pale and it looked like his hair was still standing on end. Mukuro honestly had to tamper down a laugh that he was holding in the back of his throat. Instead, he bowed to the terrified blonde. “As she said, I am Mukuro Rokudo. It is a pleasure to finally official meet you.” There was a part of him that wanted to give up the ghost, to say why he had showed himself when he was explicitly ordered not to unless of an emergency. But he did not want to scare Akihito anymore than he already did. Tsuna had gotten stronger over the years, and perhaps Mukuro had gotten softer. That or he just did not want to deal with Tsuna’s patented ‘I’m not mad at you, I’m just disappointed’ speech. It was funny how he and the other guardians always got it, while Donna seemed to be exempt from such a talking to. 

Well funny to anyone that was blind. Everyone could see that Tsuna was head over heels for Donna. Donna seemed to be the only one that could not see and understand Tsuna’s affections. “He is harmless for the most part,” Donna put in her input, finally turning to face Mukuro for she seemed to have noticed Akihito’s sudden silence. Both Akihito and Donna’s eyes traced the row of earrings still pinned in Mukuro’s ears as well the hooped and jeweled nose ring. That piece of facial jewelry had been the last addition to the vast collection he has amounted over his body over his years. “Though his appearance would say otherwise.” That seemed to lighten Akihito up. He smiled, and suddenly the fear was gone. Not only did he smile but he laughed as well, then he turned back to the wracks of clothing in front of them. Though Donna did not; her pale blue eyes narrowed in confusion and a demand for answers that Mukuro absolutely could not give her right then. With a shake of his head, she seemed to realize that. 

It was going to be a long day, Mukuro already knew; especially since the Russians had not moved from their location even after Mukuro engaged Donna and Akihito. It was almost like they knew they were being watched. 

~’~

Asami was not happy. Well, he was not happy about the situation he was in. Asking for help, that never suited him, even after all the years he had known Akihito and even with all the changes he went through because of the shorter blonde. It was just anathema to who he was as a person. 

Though, as much as he hated to admit it, Tsuna and Yamamoto’s presence did ease him into it. There was something about them, just the way they talked and the way they conducted themselves. They made it an easier pill to swallow, knowing that it was going to help keep Akihito safe in the long run. And not only that, but he would have more time for Akihito once it was all finished. Asami would practically be retired, considering how much time those particular ventures of his “business” took up.

There was also the fact that Tsuna had apparently put two of his guardians on Akihito as protection as Tsuna and his family was in the city. With the two of them together in Tokyo, there were bound to be people that caused problems, thinking their attention would be elsewhere while the business meeting was going on. Asami had dealt with such small fries in the past and was glad that wouldn’t have to worry about Akihito as well as Tsuna and his people this time around. Instead, he could just focus on making the best deals he possibly could. 

A part of making good deals with equals was getting said equals relaxed. That is why he brought Tsuna and Yamamoto to a quieter drinking lounge Asami had just opened not two weeks prior to their arrival. Unlike most of the clubs that Akihito still went to, and like many of the clubs Asami still owned. Abakata was decorated like a smooth 1920’s lounge; with golds and deep reds and other jewel tones. Only the wealthy of the wealthy were allowed in, and Asami and Tsuna both matched that description to a T. 

Tsuna asked for an espresso, which was something that Abakata actually served. Someone outside of Asami’s sphere of influence may actually call the new establishment a café bar hybrid. However Asami was not keen on using the word café. There were stunning café’s all over the world, he just didn’t think his establishment should be lessened when coffee was only a part of what they did. Yamamoto ordered a Pinot Noir, one from France Asami had actually bought specifically for the occasion; and Yamamoto’s ordering of said wine had been without prompting so Asami considered the purchase a successful one. “So tell me about yourself Asami.” Tsuna started and the triumphant feeling Asami had been collecting in his chest quickly vanished. 

How had he ever thought Tsuna was a relaxing force. The Italian sitting across from him, gently sipping on the perfectly brewed espresso was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He could act all prim and proper, like the most well trained attack dog; but Asami knew Tsuna was truly a ruthless ruler that could only rival Asami himself. Very few went for the personal questions such as that. Even Fei Long had taken to asking about Akihito and Akihito only, and that’s as far as the personal inquiry would go. For Tsuna to just barge in like that. 

“There is not much to tell. My family was wealthy and that was able to set me up for the success that I had today.” And that was about as much as Asami was willing to divulge to the brunette. Yes he had grown softer over the years with how secure he was financially and physically, but that was not mean he was just handing out his life story to everyone on the street; especially not someone that was his ally now but could potentially shift in the future. 

Tsuna, however, seemed less than perturbed by his brevity. He simply hummed, the brown eyes catching Asami’s golden. “That is quite interesting.” Was all he said before taking another sip of espresso. The four of them, including Kirishima, sat in comfortable silence for a few more moments before Tsuna spoke up again. “How is Akihito? How has he adapted to this life of yours?” 

Now that was a question Asami would have to tread carefully on. While the Vongola were known for the leniency and their very few killings, Asami was still wary. Exhibit A were the two men sitting in front of him. They acted all calm but there was a storm just beneath the surface. “He is still a little spitfire after all these years. That much hasn’t changed; though I am not surprised that it hasn’t. He has, however, dealt with some of my… allies,” He used allies sparingly, but if he had one ally aside from Xanxus, it had to be Fei Long; which sounded weird even in Asami’s mind. For Fei Long to be his ally; though the Baishe leader had calmed down considerably over the years. Plus Akihito seemed to have let everything flow away like water under the bridge. “as well as some of my enemies. And now he has dealt with your family.” That seemed to be something that would warrant another hum on Tsuna’s end, for he did just so as he nursed the espresso in his hands. 

“That is quite interesting. I would like to reiterate that my lightening guardian and mist guardian both will never let anything happen to him. They know their duties when I assign them,” The look on Yamamoto’s face when Tsuna brought up the lightening guardian peaked Asami’s interest. He had seen something like that in the past; meaning he had seen that exact expression since he had met Akihito. “Mukuro and Donna will both take a bullet before they allow Akihito’s life to become endangered.” Quite the bold statement, but the Vongola were trustworthy, Asami knew that much. The Vongola did not betray their allies nor their enemies. They would either, A., destroy their enemies before they could counter attack, or B., protect their allies until their dying breath. Whatever you were getting from the Vongola, you knew up front. 

So knowing Tsuna’s true intentions when it came to Akihito was helpful in calming some of Asami’s wild and swirling thoughts. When ealing with the Vongola, he had always spoken with Xanxus, or any of Xanxus’s men. Xanxus was exceedingly easy to read. Exceedingly powerful, but the most open book you would ever come across. Tsuna just knew how to hide his emotions and hide them well he did. 

“I must thank you then. He is the biggest trouble magnet if you have ever seen one. I assume you heard of the incident some years ago in Macao with Fei Long?” Yamamoto and Tsuna both said yes at the exact same time. “That mainly revolved around Akihito. That boy is like honey to flies.” 

Finally that cracked a laugh in Yamamoto; which then preceded to lighten the whole atmosphere of the table. “That sounds quite a bit like Donna; half the time she has most of the New York groups after her when we are out in America.” Ah, it seemed as though Akihito and Donna would get along swimmingly then. That sounded just like Akihito. 

~’~

“I sense them as well. They finally moved; I suspect from the seaport. Though as to which one I would not be able to tell.” Donna whispered quietly to Mukuro, but Akihito was more than close enough to hear what she was saying; which only served to have the blonde stopping in his tracks. 

“What did you just say?” There was no denying that she had whispered that to the long haired male, especially when she made a clucking noise with her teeth a frown marred her pretty features. 

“Mukuro had sensed hostiles somewhere in the city. That’s why he showed himself. Tsuna’s order had been to only approach the two of us if there was a problem that required Mukuro to be at hand.” That made Akihito’s blood run cold. It had been quite a few years since their last problem with a rival of Asami’s. A part of him was not all that shocked people had showed up when an Italian mafia family was in the city; but also, a part of him really wished he didn’t have to deal with any of that craziness any longer. Though Akihito did like the fact he had these two with him. They seemed more than capable and competent to keep themselves safe and Akihito safe by proximity. “Tsuna’s orders were to go back to him if a problem arose.” Donna whispered again, though it was more towards both the men with her. 

“You are not wrong, as per usual Donna.” Mukuro exclaimed, that ever-present smile slightly wavering. “I have not been able to get an exact location on the hostiles. It seems as though Tsuna still has the best accuracy in these situations. We will just have to get back to him and hope that this is not a bigger problem than it needs to be.” With that, the three continued on at a much brisker pace than they had been walking at. Akihito basically had to run; for he had grown some since he met Asami, but not enough to keep up with two people six foot or taller that were power walking. They rounded corner after corner; and the strangest thing was that even though this _was Akihito’s city_ he could barely make out where they were or where they were going. He felt like there was just a string around his waist and Mukuro and Donna were tugging him along. Was it like this with everyone in the organized crime business? They were all charismatic and just had that quality about them that had Akihito following along like a lost puppy? 

Before Akihito could even realize, they were at the port; and just as the two of them had suspected, there was a new ship docked there that had not been the previous week. Akihito did still have the docking call memorized after all. Though as he crouched down beside the other two, something hit him. “Wait. Why are we here?” Though he meant more why was he there with them. It wasn’t like he could do much, or at least he thought he couldn’t do much. Donna glanced over at him while Mukuro continued to look out over the boat and the water. 

“I wanted to see for myself who they were. Depending on their origin and who they are affiliated with, Tsuna will have to take action.” Akihito knew that line practically by heart. It was not like he liked that he knew it, but he did, and it was not something he could change. There was a brief moment where Donna looked around Mukuro, seemingly taking note of things here or there, before she turned back around to face him. She quickly reached into her back and pulled out a gun that had Akihito blinking. She had that on her the entire time and he didn’t even realize. “You know how to use one of these?” Donna asked, the fun loving air around her had vanished and she gave him a stern look as she reached the gun out to his awaiting hands. 

“It’s kind of a must if you live with Asami.” Akihito replied as he took the gun with her. It was a revolver, old looking; like it had been taken right out of a western. The grip was pearl and the metal was a shiny silver. She watched on as he checked the chambers, flipping it open and seeing that all six were full. “Any extra?” Akihito asked which prompted a smirk from Donna. 

“You do know your way around a gun. Here. But try not to fire if you don’t’ need to. I don’t want us drawing any attention as we go down and check it out. I would leave you here, but my guess is there are men on patrol around the boat. Hostiles are always like that,” She paused, turning around and pulling out her own gun. The black metal of the firearm glinted off the relatively chunky green jewel in her ring. “Always so damn paranoid. Though I guess they have a right to be with us swimming around their business.” Donna finished her sentence with a quiet laugh. 

Perhaps the strangest thing to happen that day was when Mukuro’s hand was enveloped in mist. Slowly out of the grey air, a trident formed in his hand. It took everything in Akihito not to let his jaw drop. So that’s what flames were, like mystical abilities. Thankfully his shocked look was quickly covered when Donna turned back towards him. “Mukuro will go further into the ship. The two of us are just going to do a perimeter check.” She whispered as Mukuro disappeared in the same plume of mist and smoke. Akihito would have to quickly get used to that if they were going to be spending more than one day in Tokyo. Once Mukuro was gone, Donna whispered to Akihito, “Follow me. And stay close. I need you to be my second pair of eyes.” And he was sure this wasn’t the safest thing for him to be doing if these two were to guard him; but honestly he could not find it in himself to care about the consequences. It reminded Akihito of getting the best scoop or the right angle. He loved Asami and what the older man did for him, but he could honestly say that he missed the excitement. 

He made sure to stick to Donna like glue; clearly remembering the few times he had been shot after meeting Asami and clearly remembering he hated every time. Getting another bullet in him was not on the agenda for that day. So the two of them made it down to the docking area, hiding behind giant crates and waiting for groups of men to pass before the preceded. To his surprise, she had not met a perimeter of the dock, but a perimeter of the boat. The two were able to slip on using Donna’s keen senses, timing the guards rotation.

Just like on the dock there were large crates everywhere that had words on them in a language that Akihito found familiar but couldn’t quite place. Donna seemed to be reading his mind. “Russian.” She whispered to him and Akihito’s blood ran cold. Russian meant Mikhail, and Mikhail was no longer something Asami and Akihito even brought up in polite conversation after everything that happened around about a decade ago. That single word had him cuddling closer to her as the continued the perimeter. 

Not three steps further did a sudden piercing screech sound rung out around them. He felt her body tense before she cursed aloud, much louder since now the siren was drowning any noise out. “Fucking Mukuro!” She shouted and the sound of men running about on the metal boat shook the two of them. “We have to go now.” Donna glanced around the crate only to pull her head back, a bullet whizzing into the metal where her head just was. “ We need to go now.” Her head whipped around, trying to find an escape route since the bullet just came from where the exit to the boat was. 

Akihito’s brain was working double time; because of that he was able to grab Donna’s wrist and tug her to the side of the boat they were right by. “Akihito?” She asked but it was too late. Akihito was throwing the two of them over the side of the boat and into the water of Tokyo bay. When he and Donna surfaced once again, Akihito cursed. Apparently the Russians manning the boat were not giving up so easily. They had run to the side where he threw them over and were currently reloading, getting ready to shoot them like fish in a barrel. Donna seemed to have regained her bearings for she grabbed his arm and swam the two of them over to the side of the boat. Where they were, it was not impossible to hit them, but it would be pretty damn hard. Thankfully Donna was faster. She placed her hand on the side of the boat, right underneath the surface so it would touch the water as well. “Hold onto me Akihito.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and then a flash of green light shot across the bay.

That same green light, which Akihito could now see looked like electricity, had wrapped around the boat. Above were the pained screams of the Russian men which continued for a while before slowing to a quiet stop. “Well that was a little more exciting then it needed to be. Come on. We need to get you back home. I don’t think you want to see Asami AND Tsuna chew me out about getting you into trouble like that.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akihito just wants to know what is happening. And hmmm I wonder what Asami is hiding (as if we don't all know).

The thing about the partners of “family heads” whether that be in the Yakuza or the Italian Mafia, they were considered close to royalty. That’s what someone could compare Akihito to. Asami very well near ran the country, economically and otherwise. Of course, Akihito was his partner; therefore, Akihito had close to the same power. Donna did not know the specifics behind their relationship, but often in these cases if the head passed away or was killed, their partner would take over the business. 

Once Tsuna found a romantic partner he wished to marry, they would carry on the heavy burden that Akihito currently shouldered whether he wanted to or not.

Once she and Mukuro walked Akihito back to his apartment and saw him inside, they headed to Sion where Tsuna and Asami would be working. It was not like she was looking forwards to explaining what had happened. Hell, she still smelt like fish; which Mukuro had so kindly pointed out. “That is not helping asshole.” She muttered under her breath as they walked. Mukuro looked about as pleased as punch, completely dry while her clothing still dripped the bay water. Thankfully the Vongola’s technology was able to prevent the gun from becoming water logged and unusable. Spanner was a damn genius that she would never take for granted. 

They quickly made their way downtown to the imposing Sion building which had her missing the Italian country side and the sprawling Vongola estate along the coast. “Shit.” Donna muttered under her breath as the two walked in. As though they were waiting for her, and she could only assume they were, she was ushered right on through security alongside Mukuro; though he got a few strange looks thrown in his direction. They passed everyone else through the sparkling and modern lobby, all white and black and sharp lines, towards the bank of elevators. The two of them passed the ones the other workers in the building were using towards a private one she could only assume Asami and his guests used. “Damn I really don’t want to do this.” She muttered under her breath, picking a piece of what could only be described as slime off of her shirt. Beside her, Mukuro hummed. 

When the elevator doors open, she stepped in, expecting Mukuro to follow her. However since they were out of the prying eyes of the regular citizenry of the Sion building, he misted away; leaving her fuming. “What the fuck Mukuro? You can’t even help a girl out?” Donna shouted as the doors closed. The sound of Mukuro’s laugh was the only thing she could hear as the cart lifted her up and up into the air. “Ass.” He was leaving her to think up an appropriate report all to herself. Damn him. 

And Donna damned the elevator that shot up the height of the building and deposited her right into a giant office. She spotted Yamamoto first. He seemed to have been waiting for her, facing further into the office but looking towards the elevator doors. When he saw the state of her clothing, he tilted his head to the side in what could only be amused confusion. Then she walked further in and spotted the men of the hour. Tsuna was looking down at a paper in his hand and Asami looked very well near exploding. His golden eyes bore into her as she walked over to them. When Tsuna finally looked up, he had a confused look on his face but it was far from amused. 

“What the hell happened?” He near shouted. The head of the Vongola had always been attuned to flames in a certain radius. There was no way he could not feel the Russians down by the dock. And then of course there was her discharge of lightening. That would have easily been seen from this very physical location. 

It was rare to see Tsuna lose his cool. Donna had not been with them during the fabled Millifiore Incident. She joined just a handful of years after that. But apparently that had been more than hectic. Now he looked like he wanted to slap her, which she knew he wouldn’t. He would never physically hurt her in the heat of the moment. Sure, perhaps when they were training, but not out of anger. Though she could not say the same thing about Asami. 

A cigarette hung from his lips as he crossed his arms, walking over to the two of them and waiting for her response. “Well?” Donna had to physically bite down a snappy reaction to Asami’s mood. She was well aware of his own little “secret”, as was Tsuna and Yamamoto, Mukuro and hell, all of Asami’s men. He should know.

But she was representing Tsuna and the Vongola. “As Akihito and I were out shopping, Mukuro and I both sensed flames in the city; ones that were enemy in origin. Considering it is a threat to Decimo, Mukuro and I both decided it was in everyone best interest that we did a little scouting.” Asami’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, pulling up the hand with the lightening ring on it. Tsuna did nothing, just staring with his own arms crossed. There was still some discharge of green flames coming off the ring. She did have to encompass an entire shipping freighter after all. 

“This doesn’t seem like a little “scouting”.” Asami responded before she yanked her hand out of his grasp. 

“If you don’t like how I handled the situation, you should take it up with someone who gives a damn. I protected Akihito, but my first and fore most concern will always be Tsuna. Anyways, Akihito knows how to handle a gun fairly well. You should get him even more training.”

“She is right.” Akihito’s voice came from behind her. She turned and he was coming out of the elevator, clothing clean for he more than likely changed before following her and Mukuro to Sion. 

“Akihito! Why did you follow me here?” And she had been telling the truth when she did not want him seeing her get her ass chewed out by the two men in front of her. 

Yet the blonde was stubborn, far too stubborn. He walked up beside her and crossed his arms, clearly standing his ground and taking her side. “She kept me safe and checked out the situation as the same time. You know I have been in far more dangerous situations in the past.” Donna preceded to switch back and forth between the two men. Akihito was glaring while Asami’s hard poker face almost looked like it was taking blows with each word. 

When Donna looked over at Tsuna, she caught him trying to hold back a smirk. He had always been partial to the “outcast” and the trouble makers. Akihito was exactly the kind of person Tsuna surrounded himself with. “That does not excuse the fact you very well could have been hurt.” Alright, Donna was getting annoyed. She stepped up to the plate again. 

“Look Asami.” With no honorifics. He looked near scandalized, as did his secretary. “If you have a problem, as I said, get with someone who gives a damn. I did what I was supposed to do; I checked out a threat that could have hurt my boss,” She said, motioning towards Tsuna with her hand, “And subsequently injure Akihito. I would never let him get hurt but I have to look out for those in my family first.” Silence enveloped the office as she let her words sink in. Beside her, she saw Akihito relax some, obviously not as confrontational as he was when he first walked in from the elevator. 

Slowly, Asami’s face relaxed as well, seemingly understanding where she was coming from in her logic. Thankfully Akihito really did have her back. “You know you would do the same thing if you were tasked to look after someone in Tsunayoshi’s family Asami.” Akihito added on and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Asami’s entire body seemed to deflate as he took a deep sigh, then wrapping Akihito up in his arms. “I know you get concerned but I am capable of doing things by myself. I always have been.” 

Donna nodded, moving towards Tsuna who also gave her a quick tight hug, not seeming to care that his suit got a little damp from her still soaked state. “What is this about Russians?” He asked quietly; though it did catch everyone else’s attention. That prompted the entire group to move towards the expansive meeting room that was attached to the office. Once they were all seated, Donna started to explain. 

“As I said, Mukuro and I sensed the movement a little on into my visit with Akihito.”

“I must admit that I sensed them as well. Though at that point there were no problems that I was expecting from them.” Donna glanced over at Asami, expecting him to chime in, yet he was silent next to Akihito and his secretary. “Please continue.”

“Mukuro then preceded to make contact with Akihito and I to inform me about the movement by the bay. Both he and I decided that it would be in everyone’s interest that we assessed the threat level. I gave Akihito my revolver while I used the gun that Spanner supplied me before I had left for Varia HQ.” Donna stated, putting both of the guns on the table. Asami and his secretary looked at them, noting the revolver especially since that was the gun that Akihito had used. “Both Akihito and I checked the perimeter while Mukuro headed within the boat since he can infiltrate locations with minimal individuals becoming aware of his presence.” That’s when she was really wishing Mukuro was there. He would be able to explain why the alarms had been raised and the Russians had known they had come on board in the first place.

“At some point, however, the Russians were alerted. We took fire before Akihito was able to get the two of use over board and off the ship. It was then that I used my flames to stun everyone on board with lightening.” She lifted her hand, obviously motioning towards the ring that was settled on her finger. 

She noticed Akihito looking at it from out of the corner of her eye. It was a gaudy thing after all. Settled on her pointer finger, it very well near covered her entire appendage. Asami was the next to speak. “Were you able to identify who these Russians were?” Akihito had looked so frightened of the possibility it was Mikhail, so it was only understandable that Asami would be wondering about it as well. 

“Mikhail’s men are almost exclusively storm users. These men were mainly cloud. This was not Mikhail.” There was a sigh of relief across the board, partly because Tsuna had just finished talks with Mikhail, and partly because of the past Asami and Akihito shared with the blonde Russian. “Though that leaves the question as to who they are.” And that was a heavy one indeed. If there was a family of flame users that were trying to start something with Asami and Tsuna, they had to be stronger than most. 

Organizations across the globe, whether that be in the East or the West, knew of Asami; and they definitely knew of the Vongola, even if just because of how old the Vongola were. They would know that it was a fools errand to take on one, let alone both of them at the. So to head on into Asami’s territory knowing full well the head of the Vongola would be there as well, they had to have some sort of fire power. 

That’s what concerned the men at the table. “And you are sure they were speaking Russian?” Yamamoto asked. Donna nodded. The Vongola did not have many dealings within the main land of Russia, that’s why this was as big of a problem as it suddenly was.

“We cannot do much as of right now.” Kirishima, as Donna would later find out, spoke up. “We will start looking into it, as will your family if you wish to.” And it was true. They could not speak much about it right now. Everyone honestly needed more information before anyone moved forwards with anything. Plus, apparently, Tsuna and Asami were not finished with the route changes they had been working on. 

So they all stood, readying to leave and end the meeting for the day. That is, until Donna grabbed Asami’s elbow, the others continuing towards the elevator at the other end of the office. “I wanted to apologize. I was unnecessarily rude to you. I just want you to know right now that I will continue to protect Akihito to the best of my abilities; but Tsuna will always be my first priority.” Perhaps Asami was impressed by it, perhaps he was not, she did not know. Either way, he nodded silently, guiding her to the elevator where the others were waiting. Akihito looked between everyone, obviously having something on the tip of his tongue but just could not find what he was wanting to say. 

Tsuna and Asami said their pleasantries upon the opening of the elevator doors and they slid close; leaving the three Vongola alone.

“Shit!” Donna muttered under her breath, the three of them heading down the elevator. Her outburst caused the other two men to jump, not quite having expected her to make a noise in such a fashion.

“What?” Tsuna questioned. 

“Akihito forgot to ask about Flames and how they work! I told him to ask you or Asami.” 

~’~

Once the three members of the Vongola family left, including Donna who Akihito actually wanted to stay, he turned towards Asami. They were the only ones left in the room, Kirishima having left when the elevator doors were closing. There were a few reasons why he wanted Donna there with him, the main one being he needed her to moderate. Of course he could have asked Asami about Flames by himself, he was in his 30’s now after all. However there were often visions of the past between the two of them; and Asami was still intimidating when he wanted to be.

How to do this. How to do this. There was a part of Akihito that wanted to go to Tsuna himself. There was just an aura about the Italian that was relaxing; enough so that Akihito’s anxiety vanished. Should he even ask Asami about it? Especially with the whole Russian problem that just came up. 

When he turned to Asami, the man was staring at him; a poker face that he had seen just far too many times in the past.

“What?” Akihito questioned. But Asami just continued to stare at him. “What is the problem?” Akihito tried again but got the same results as he had previously. It was not like he was all that mad at Asami for keeping the whole “Flames” thing away from him. It was more like he was just disappointed if anything; after all they had been through together it really seemed like he would trust Akihito a little more than that. So instead he simply shrugged and turned to the elevator once again. 

The only reason he had followed Donna and Mukuro back to Sion was because he did not want Asami yelling at her for something that was out of her control. It was not like she would be able to tell that Akihito would do the things he did. He rarely knew what he was doing. 

“Akihito.” Asami finally spoke as he slipped into the elevator. Akihito faced the older man as the doors started to close. He gave Asami a wicked little smile. 

“See you at home big guy.” And the doors slipped closed. 

~’~

“Shit I am so sorry about all of this.” Donna said as they slipped into the hotel room. Tsuna had been quiet the entire drive back, barely saying one word to Yamamoto and Donna. Mukuro was already waiting for them, his feet kicked up on the coffee table like he just owned the place. “And you! Asshole! Why the fuck did you leave my hanging like that!” She stalked towards Mukuro but was stopped short with Tsuna grabber her wrist, tugging her out of the main living room area of the pent house suite and into the room Tsuna had used to sleep in the night prior. 

“Tsuna? What is going on?” She gasped out as he slammed the door and pushed her up against the wall. Her face burst into a hot blush, his body pressed to hers and his hands reached up. The Vongola rings on his hand were warm, never ever cold; even as they cupped her face and his thumbs brushed against the skin under her eyes. He stared at her, catching her eyes before he looked around the rest of her face. They caught her lips for a moment longer. 

“I can’t lose you. I can’t ever lose you.” He whispered before turning her face, kissing each of her cheeks then pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t you ever do something like that. Let Mukuro go in for you. If something comes up in such a fashion, you come get me. You are not a fighter.” 

“But Tsu-“

“Hush.” He breathed, pressing his thumb against her lips; then preceding to brush it back and forth over her bottom lip. “You are only a temporary guardian. Right when Lambo graduates from high school, which is only a year from now, you will be my permanent mechanic. You will have no say in this. I absolutely cannot take the chance that you will get hurt.” Tsuna finished, punctuating his words with a hand brushing through her now damp hair. 

“Ok. Ok I understand.” Donna relinquished the conversation to him before allowing him to step back and put space between the two of them. 

“Go ahead and take a shower. We will be calling for room service.”

Tsuna then left the room, obviously meaning he wanted her to shower in his room which she would be more than willing to do. 

While Donna was in the shower, and Tsuna had walked back out into the living room, a knock came at the door. It was Yamamoto that answered the door. “Oh. Hello Akihito!” Tsuna came rushing over at that; and there Akihito was, standing in the doorway looking a little frazzled but no worse for where. 

“I just need to know what Flames are and then I will leave.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it is a short chapter! Please forgive me! I just really wanted to get this scene out of the way. It establishes some things in the future.

Kirishima honestly thought he deserved a raise. Of course he would never say that aloud to Asami. As comfortable and relaxed as they had gotten around each other over the years, Kirishima still felt as though he could not truly speak his wishes as often as he probably should. No matter though. He would just continue to imagine that bigger pay check each and every day; each and every time he had to deal with some crazy shit. 

“Sir we have a problem.” 

Like now.

He rubbed his temples as he pressed the intercom button on his desk before speaking again. “What is it?” He asked, not beating around the bush. He was Asami’s last line of defense if it was something troubling. The incident involving the Russians on the freighter in the bay was only a day and a half ago. There was no way any of them were fully relaxed. Well perhaps Takaba and Tsunayoshi. Takaba because he just did not realize the danger of the situation and Tsunayoshi Sawada because he just did not care about someone as small as a Russians causing problems. If it were not for Asami, the Vongola would have control over the global underworld system. Asami was the last hold out and at this point in the game, Tsunayoshi did not seem to mind. If anything he seemed more than ok with Asami having complete control over Asia. As long as they had an alliance of some form and fashion, then they could easily work around and with one another. 

“Um, well,” It was one of the new hires that Kirishima just recently approved. What the hell was his name? Something youthful, something that sounded similar to Takaba but not. Either way he finally finished. “Oh, she already got past.” 

“She?” Kirishima did not even comment on the fact the young man allowed some woman to walk right on past the security front desk presumaedly towards the elevators. 

“Tall, taller than me sir.” 

Kirishima already had an inkling on that descriptor alone. Very few woman were tall, much less closing in on six foot. One woman in particular of VERY recent memory fit that description. “Long blonde hair?” He asked. The young man on the other end of the intercom made an affirming noise and Kirishima’s anxiety lessened just the smallest bit. At least he knew it was not an enemy. A member of the Vongola was not so unprofessional as to cause problems for their boss, especially not someone in his inner circle like Donna was. 

That did not take away from the fact that a Vongola member has suddenly shown up at Sion for reasons unknown. There had been no prior warning or a message to Kirishima Asami would be having visitors. He could do nothing about it though; only able to switch his computer screen to the security feed in the cameras. He flipped through a few of them before finding the one he was looking for. 

Tsunayoshi was a lucky man, not that he was in a relationship with Donna in such a manner; at least not from what Kirishima could tell. Though he gave her eyes like he wished to be. Either way she was dressed in a tight dark dress and killer heels; all expensive if Tsunayoshi had anything to say about it and no one denied Sawada Tsunayoshi of anything. Kirishima was smart enough to know that; Tsunayoshi could dress them all up like barbie dolls if he wished it, aside from Asami of course. Her hair was pinned up with blond ringlets running down her neck and she wore a thick brown fur shawl loose around her shoulders. It did not take long for the elevator to reach the top floor, not long at all. It was the end of the day at Sion after all. All Asami’s “on the books” employees would be either headed home or gone by this point in the day. 

Kirishima was still annoyed the new security employee had not stopped her sooner but a part of him could understand why a young man would only be able to stop and stare. She looked closer to a model than a mechanic as she says she is. She was tall, just under six foot and most of that was legs; exposed by the dress. The fur was appropriate since they were going into the winter and the sun was just beginning to set, the days much shorter than they had been just a week ago. Their eyes caught for a moment as she walked down the hallway towards Asami’s office and for that brief moment Kirishima was frozen as well. Her green eyes shimmered with mishchief and something else he could not quite place. 

Could not quite place…

Shit!

He jumped up at the last minute and rushed down the hallway to catch up to her. Donna was about to reach for Asami’s office door when he stopped her with a hand on her elbow. She whipped around and smiled. “Ah Kirishima,” She started in English. Interesting. She was not fluent in Japanese then. Or perhaps she was far more comfortable speaking English. She was an American after all. “I did not notice you there. I just have some things I wish to discuss with Asami. Should not take more than five minutes.” Her arm attempted to tug itself out of his grasp but Kirishima got the slip around speech from Takaba enough to know what she was up to. 

When her arm was not immediately released she looked down at it as though it offended her personally. “I would ask if you came back at another time preferably with Tsunayoshi.” He explained but even his words were not intimidating her. Standing there he could see striking similarities between her and Takaba. Was that just what Mafia bosses and Yakuza heads interested in? Stubborn and head strong beautiful blondes that would not put up with their grand standing?

“Oh come now Kirishima, or should I call you Kei?” 

“Please keep it Kirishima.” 

She just laughed at that before continuing. “Well Kirishima, it is not like I have any weapons on me.” She said, putting her arms out to the side as best as she could considering he was still holding her arm. Of course the woman was no fool though. Donna watched as Kirishima’s eyes flipped over to where her Vongola ring sat on her hand. When he caught her sight again, he could see the wicked little look in those green orbs. 

Before he could respond to her taunting, the door opened behind her and Asami is suddenly standing there. He looked less than pleased but Kirishima could not find the words he needed. Instead Donna took the lead. “Ah just the man I wished to speak with. It will just be a moment.”

Asami’s look was nonplussed as he nodded and guided her in. 

~’~

“I was not expecting you.” Asami needed to keep his tone casual. After Donna’s last little “excursion” with Akihito, he was less then pleased with her. Of course it was not like he could do anything about it. Tsunayoshi had the woman attached to his hip, which made her appearance at Sion by herself all the more strange. 

"Tsuna and I were headed to dinner tonight and I just had some things I needed to get done beforehand." Donna just shrugged and walked over to the lounging area in Asami’s office. That would also explain her attire when the previous time he saw her she was wearing clothing that was far more casual then her current attire. She sat down on one of the chairs that faced the skyline bathed in the dark glow of an early winter sunset. Asami stood off to the side and poured himself a fifth of scotch. He motioned with his hand if she wanted any but Donna just shook her head. At first she seemed almost pleased to be there, pleased to be throwing all of his men off, but then her red painted lips dropped. There it was. 

“I do not have much to say so I might as well get everything out. Over the little time I have spent with Akihito, both at the behest of Tsuna and outside of that setting last night,” That explained Akihito’s disappearance the previous night. He had slipped his guard and had been gone for some hours, apparently spending time with the woman before him. “I have grown to care about him deeply, deep enough to wish to not see him get hurt in any situation what so ever. That includes in a setting he is intimately familiar with by this point.” Asami was shocked by how intense the younger woman could be, though of course he did not show it on his face. Tsunayoshi chose well. 

And Asami knew exactly what she was talking about when she said a setting he knew “intimately”. “Is that a threat Ms. LaRue?” He asked with a knowing smirk that slowly grew on his own lips. Most women would not attempt to stand up to him in such a fashion. If he was no in “an intimate setting” with Akihito, then he would have surely shown interest in her. Donna stood from her chair and walked forwards, passing him and stopping by the window. Her shape was outlined by the fire colored light. 

When she turned to look at him, she had her eyes narrowed into daggers. “Never Asami Ryuichi. I am not stupid enough to threaten the underworld king of Asia. I am simply telling you he needs to know.”

Know…

Know what? Apparently his look he was giving her was enough to get the message across. She blinked a couple of times before answering, or answering some what. “You are not wearing you ring.” She said, motioning towards her own hand to specify which one she was speaking about. “I assume Akihito has no idea who you truly are, that you are one of us.” She started walking back towards the office door. “You need to tell him or I will. He has the right to know.” Before she could leave completely Asami quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping her and dragging her closer. 

He put on an equally vicious looking smirk on his face. As much as she tried to hide it, he could tell Donna was fearful of him in that moment. Good. That’s what he was trying to get across. “It is not wise to cross me in such a fashion.” He had to wonder if all American woman acted in such a way. 

It took a moment but the blonde in front of him ripped her wrist out of his grasp and puffed her shawl higher around her bare shoulders and her red lips twisted into a grin. “Oh Ryuichi, don’t flatter yourself. Akihito is the one I care for here. I am just looking out for his best interest.” And then she was gone, leaving Asami craving a cigarette and someone to kill. 


	6. Chapter 6

“Please.” Akihito said as he walked into the living room area of the pent house, following behind after Tsuna. The two of them stopped when Tsuna turned around and motioned for Akihito to take a seat on one of the couches. When he did, Tsuna took the one opposite to him. Yamamoto walked back into the kitchenette and all three could hear the shower running in the “master suite”.

“Alright Akihito. What is it that you need to know?” Tsuna started which got a surprised reaction out of the younger male. 

“You don’t need anything from me? No money or…” Akihito’s words could only have Tsuna guessing as to what he meant by that; or what he had gone through in the past to get something from people. 

“No. Especially since the Vongola are something of guardians of “Flames”. If you need to know something about it, and you have a genuine interest, I will more than happily explain it for you.” Tsuna’s words quite clearly had Akihito relaxing in his seat some, his shoulders sluffing off a slate of tenseness he had been holding since he entered the hotel. It was not like Tsuna and his men (and women) seemed dangerous. They did not seem spontaneous like Fei Long or aggressive like Mikhail. Akihito felt almost relaxed around the man sitting in front of him. 

“I just… Asami is never going to tell me,” That was not entirely true. Over the years, Asami had started to share more and more with Akihito. The two of them had to open up with one another to stay alive. Yet…yet he kept his, whatever this was, he kept it hidden for this long. Why would he start to tell Akihito about it now? Either way, Tsuna was already nodding as though he understood. There was something boyishly handsome about the older brunette, like if Akihito saw a picture of him when he was younger he would surely look like “the boy next door” and not a future Mafia don. “Perhaps the one thing I want to know is if it is dangerous. I care about Asami too much to let him get involved in anything like that again.” Though from the little he caught between all of them, it was more like a weapon, not an activity. 

Tsuna hummed and nodded, a small smile on his face as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. With a quick few swipes here and there, he pulled up an old photo and turned the electronic around on the coffee table between the two of them. There, Akihito looked down and blinked in silent shock. It was an old photograph, just barely colored; like it was worn down over many years and scanned onto the computer. 

What was strange about it were the inhabitants in the photo. What appeared to be Tsuna stood beside a equally tall red head. They were dressed in older styled clothing; stuff Italians would wear back in the mid to late 1800’s. However even in the worn photograph Akihito could see the ring on their fingers. The wild haired blonde that could be Tsuna’s twin was wearing the same ring Tsuna currently had on his finger. 

“Uh…” It was the only thing Akihito could think to voice upon seeing the picture. Why was Tsuna showing him this? 

“That, my dear Akihito, is Giotto. He was the, let us say, progenitor of the Vongola family.”

“Wow!” Akihito could not help the amazement and aw he felt at seeing such an old photograph. Yet his brain caught up to him. “But Asami said your family started back in the 1600’s?”

Tsuna apparently could not hold back the chuckle at that. “Well technically it did. Though I would consider that “my family starting” as that is when I can trace my current family tree back to in Italy. Giotto did not really start the Vongola in it’s modern day iteration until the 1800’s. At that point, Giotto gained more and more wealth from the jobs he did and this was passed down from generation to generation,” Tsuna swiped the phone screen and a giant estate appeared on the screen. Akihito could not help but be impressed. He blinked for a moment before looking back up. 

“This is quite interesting and all but what does this have to do with…” He trailed off, not exactly sure as to how to finish that sentence. Tsuna thankfully helped him out. 

“I needed to show you who my ancestor was to explain things. The ability to use flames have been around for centuries, much longer than Giotto’s life span. However the Vongola bloodline has always been particularly gifted in how they can call forth their ability.” Tsuna lifted his hand and the striking ring glowed for a moment then it burst into flames. Akihito almost screamed but Tsuna was quiet. It was just like the flames from last time however his were closer to the real color of fire. It glowed a low orange, but there was something about it that almost had a liquid like consistency. “The ones that wield the sky flame are often chosen to lead families; it depends on the attributes of the person.” Akihito hummed, not quite sure of what was going on but happy he was finally getting some answers. Though they were both interrupted when Donna walked into the room. She was in sweats and a t-shirt, endearing her to Akihito even further. During the time they had spent together, they had grown surprisingly close surprisingly fast. Perhaps it was partially because she was so easily quick to lay her life down for him, perhaps it was partially other things. 

Either way she lit up just as much as him when she spotted him in the room. In the back of his mind, Akihito realized a part of the reason they became quick friends was that she was in the same boat as him. There was just no way she was born into this world; Donna was too casual. And then there was the fact they could practically pass for siblings, what with Akihito’s darker skin and blonde hair like hers. If only her eyes were a little darker then they could dress up like twins. 

She was finishing a pin in her hair when her eyes traveled to Akihito’s speaking partner. It seemed like Donna was putting the wrong things together when she rushed over, standing beside Akihito and taking his hand. “Oh god Akihito are you ok? What’s wrong? Are you alright?” It was rapid fire and he almost did not catch what she was saying but thankfully Tsuna did. The older man laughed, causing Donna to turn and take in his form. When he patted the couch beside him, Donna hesitated but finally relented and took her seat beside her boss. 

“Everything is fine Donna, it is actually better that you are here now. Akihito wanted to know more about flames.” 

She leaned over, looking annoyed as she whispered in his ear before pulling back. He nodded at whatever he said before taking her hand. 

“Many different people have different flame attributes. I control the sky while Donna can use lightening.” He said before tugging her hand out in front of her and holding it over the table between them. Donna leaned forwards as well and pushed her fingers out so all three could look at the ring settled on her finger. Like Tsuna’s, it was chunky, much thicker than most rings. 

He thanked whoever was looking out for him since all three were looking at the ring and could not catch the blush that dusted over his cheeks. Tsuna was obviously quite enamored with Donna with the way he caressed her hand and spoke. “I have other guardians, each a different flame attribute. There is a storm, mist, cloud, sun, and rain.” That was more than Akihito had been expecting. All three leaned back once again, though Akihito was still enthralled. “Each of them have their own boons and banes. Donna is talented in hardening her flame, something that is actually quite difficult for most flames users.” He said, motioning towards Donna beside him. 

Akihito felt a twinge of pity for Tsuna as he placed a hand on Donna’s thigh. Either the woman was completely clueless to his advances and thought friends were just exceptionally physical or she was being purposefully obtuse with Tsuna. Donna lifted her own hand and placed it out in front of her. He had already seen her use her flames once but was excited to see it again. Just like Tsuna, her flames appeared, green and static like electricity this time. Slowly they started to harden and the flames almost had the consistency of glass. She handed it to him and there was not temperature difference, just striking green crystal. “I see.” 

“Akihito, trust me when I tell you that flames are harmless. It’s what people do with them that can be aggravating.” Donna laughed. “Asami seems more than capable to handle whatever gets thrown at him.” Akihito could still remember the stand off she and Asami had in the office.

Tsuna’s quick explanation seemed like enough, at least for the time being. He nodded at the two of them then turned to Donna. While it may not be proper to ask, Akihito had never much cared for propriety in the past. “How long will you be in town?” 

Donna glanced over at Tsuna before answering. “For now? Until the negotiations are done and Tsuna is finished helping Asami.”

Tsuna’s hand that seemed to tighten on Donna’s thigh was enough for Akihito to stand; which in turn made Donna stand even though that had to be the complete opposite of what Akihito had been planning. She walked him over to the door. “Tsuna and I are going out tonight so I won’t be available now. But some time this coming week?” 

Quickly she made sure to swap numbers before Akihito left the pent house suite, feeling a little better on how things were going; though he still had quite a few questions. 

~’~

Donna walked back into the pent house suite, Yamamoto and Mukuro both suspiciously absent. She would have worried about it if it were not for Tsuna being more than capable of looking after himself; though of course it was not always like that. She was thankful it was now however. Donna pushed off her fur shawl and headed deeper in, coming to the small living room area where Tsuna was standing; sharp against the Tokyo skyline. He was dressed the same way as when she left, just not putting on his suit jacket yet. No matter. They would be leaving soon anyways; after all she had done what she left to do in the first place. 

When Tsuna did not turn around right away, Donna paused. “Tsuna?” She asked and that seemed to do the trick for the most part. He glanced just briefly over his shoulder, his eyes looking her up and down. 

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” His response had her flinching back. Tsuna never, EVER used that tone with her. If anything it was rather exclusive to the jack asses that still tried to pull one over on the Vongola. Standing there her heart beat rapidly in her chest, nearly jumping right out when he finally turned completely. 

What the hell was his problem? Something was wrong, Donna could feel it in the air. Never the less, she slowly walked towards him by the window. Yet Donna did not get far. Before she realized what had happened, she was leaning against the window behind her and her hand had reached up to cup the burning side of her head. She pulled her palm back from her cheek and jaw to find blood staining the skin. Obviously, it was not on her appendage considering there were no cuts. Slowly Donna looked up through her now slightly messy hair and put two and two together. 

Tsuna’s hand was extended out, his palm now facing her considering it was the top of his knuckles and his ring that had broken her skin when he back handed her. Donna tamped down the shiver in her body as much as she could but it was getting harder and harder when Tsuna said nothing, just glaring at her with those golden eyes. “Do you think it is funny to just walk into Sion and demand things of Asami, an ally no less?” 

Donna tried to forget the pain radiating from her skull because Tsuna really did not hold back when he hit her. The annoyance that was slowly bubbling up seemed to do the trick rather well. “No Tsuna I don’t think its funny. I was doing what I thought was right. But don’t mistake me temporarily covering for Lambo as me becoming one of your guardians.” She felt the heavy ring on her finger as she bit back right back at him. “I’m not one of your goons that you can just order around Tsuna.”

“As long as you wear that particular finger on your ring you might as well be!” He shot right back at her, raising his voice enough to cause Donna to flinch back. He never, NEVER, spoke like that to her. Donna could feel her palms start to sweat, but there was no way she was going to stand down from him. 

“Quit acting like that Tsuna! I know you agree with me! I know you think Asami should be telling Akihito the truth behind who he is as well! You would do the same thing for me. Hell, you did the same thing for me. Why can I not advocate Akihito gets the same treatment, that he gets to finally know what has been kept form him?” Donna was furious, furious and scared and frustrated. Tsuna had never struck her like that. Yes they fought when they were sparring and training and Tsuna would often land blows on her then, but that was vastly different. That had never been out of anger. 

Something flashed in Tsuna’s eyes that if Donna were another person, she would not have been able to catch. That was not the only thing she was not able to catch. Tsuna’ hand shot out faster than she could react to. His fingers wrapped around her neck and pushed her back, her body bashing against the window behind her. 

Something was terribly wrong. 

Tsuna would never in a million years do this to a family member. He would be the first one to volunteer himself to go through such an ordeal. However here he was, choking her out. Plus he would never react this way to her confronting Asami. Sure it was not her smartest plan she had ever come up with before but it was right along the vein of a “classic” Vongola move. Vongola were for the people and of the people. They helped those that were in need and those that could not help themselves. 

His fingers which she would love to hold and to simply touch squeezed tighter and tighter around her neck as the tips of her toes lifted from the floor. She sobbed and gasped, tears streaming from her eyes. Tsuna’s superior strength proved to be too much. He shook her body hard enough for the back of her head to smack against the glass and her eye sight went black for a moment. Only when it came back to her did she realize she in fact was not alone in the room with him. Tsuna seemed to realize it as well. His grip loosened on her throat and her feet started to find the ground once again. 

“My loyalty to you has always been flimsy at best. I would suggest you put Donna down immediately.” Mukuro’s voice was flat, flatter than usual. His face that was so often expressive and smirking was dark and foreboding, having caught Tsuna in the middle of what he had been doing. Only when her body collapsed into a heap on the ground did Tsuna seem to snap out of what he had done; just a touch. His eyes focused, clarity and life flowing back into him. He glanced back at Mukuro and when his eyes found Donna again, who was crawling away and shakily climbing to her feet, did Tsuna come back to his senses. 

His face went white as his throat tightened. He wanted to reach out but he knew that would be the worst thing he could do in that moment. Tsuna had never hit a woman in such a capacity, never thought he had it in him. Honestly Tsuna had no idea what had come over him. 

The current best course of action for him would to just let her go. Tsuna honestly felt like he wanted to vomit upon noticing the red marks around her throat and the swelling and blood on her face. He did that to her. And as she stumbled away from him back towards the front door, he could see the blood on the back of her head. 

What the hell had just come over him? 

And if it happened again, would he be able to stop himself before he hurt her? Or worse, killed her? 

~’~

“I’m telling you Kou, things have just been super hectic lately; what with work and all.”

“I thought you said Asami has been slowing down a lot?” Kou brought up and Akihito knew he had been caught red handed. Not that Kou would be all that perturbed by Akihito not hanging out with him. They were not in their twenties anymore and it was not exactly customary for them to hang out every night. They were still best friends, but they both understood Akihito was not the extrovert he liked to label himself. The blonde would often just get worn out and that’s what had been happening as of late. Kou understood. 

Before either of them could say anything else, they heard a knock on Kou’s apartment door. The graphic designer had moved out of his old apartment building. Nothing was wrong with it but the frequency of security scares that Kou had experience since Akihito shacked up with Asami had increased enough for him to move. That’s why he was in a slightly nicer apartment this time around; not overly expensive but something someone in their thirties could surely be proud of. 

Akihito was wanting to stay over at Kou’s, at least for the night. Asami’s guards were surely watching so nothing would go wrong. 

It was just after Akihito had that conversation with Tsunayoshi and his guardians, or at least the ones that were there; something felt wrong. He could not quite put his finger on it but he did not really want to be around Asami that night. “I’ll get it.” He said, standing from where he and Kou had been sitting on the floor while eating their dinner to head to the front door. Outside he could still hear the heavy rain; thanking the gods that he did not have a stakeout that night. He hated waiting in the rain; and having to stay so still, he always got sick if he had a stakeout during this kind of weather. 

When he looked through the peep hole, he did not see exactly who it was at first. Of course there would not be too much danger since Asami’s aforementioned guards were surely watching, but Akihito knew never to be too careful. From what he could tell, it was a woman standing outside of Kou’s door. She seemed tall, like she would be taller than Akihito and a little taller than Kou as well; however her back was towards the peep hole so he could only see what looked to be dirty blonde hair. Not wanting to wait any longer he opened the door and his jaw dropped. 

There stood Donna, soaked to the bone in the frigid November night rain. Her blonde hair looked a wreck, half up and half down and before she turned around to face him he could see it was blood that he saw through the peep hole, not dirt. Her eyes were red and rimmed even darker quite clearly indicating she had been crying. There was blood on her face from a cut that her hair covered and the swelling had not gone down yet so he could tell the injury was fresh. All of that was not even mentioning the bruising and almost burned looking skin around her neck. It was getting darker and darker by the minute and before long, if he did not do something and stop standing their like an idiot, her neck would look as though she were wearing a black collar necklace. 

“I am so sorry Akihito, I did not mean to intrude but I had no where else to go. I can leave if you want me to.” Donna whispered, though Akihito could tell she was not doing that on purpose. Whatever happened, she was unable to speak at a louder level because of the injury on her neck. Hell it almost look like someone tried to hang her. 

“No absolutely not.” He refused to let her leave back out into the rain and grabbed her wrist instead. He tugged her inside and shouted for Kou who rushed to the front hall, stopping like a deer in head lights for he was not exactly expecting guests; and definitely not guest of the pretty women in distress kind. Akihito was quick to tell Kou they needed some warm water, towels, his first aid kit, and an ice pack to wrap it up. He guided Donna to the living room and sat her down. Kou was quick with the towels and other items, rushing back into the room as well. Since Donna was looking down, Kou was able to mouth the question ‘Asami business?’ which Akihito was quick to nod to. 

First he wrapped the towel around her shoulders, at least the bigger one. The other one he placed on her head and gently started to dry her hair off but when she flinched, she stopped. “Where did it hurt?” He asked quietly while lifting the towel away. Donna had tears in the corner of her eyes as she reached to the back of her head. Since Kou was in position and more than willing to help a pretty woman, he gently started to pull some of the wet hair away from the area and got to cleaning that wound. 

“Thankfully it’s not too bad. Those head wounds tend to bleed a lot more than they should; it seems as though you just split the skin back here.” Upon Kou explaining the injury, Akihito watched as silent tears dripped from her eyes. 

As gently as he could, Akihito started to clean up the wound on her neck and the wound on her cheek, starting at her cheek first. “I know you probably do not want to talk about this, but whatever happened, I can help out. Do you know who-.”

“It was Tsuna.” Her voice cracked through the injury and Akihito felt his blood boil. 

“Tsuna did this to you? What the hell happened?” Akihito did not even know what to do, where to start. He felt his heart rate pick up as Kou finished and walked the dirty bandages out of the room; obviously knowing he needed to give the two of them space. “Has this happened before?” Akihito asked angrily, more at Tsuna than Donna. 

But the blonde woman shook her head before answering in that whisper voice of hers. “No god no. He has never laid a hand on me in anger. Sure we spar and train together sometimes and he can hit me then, but never like this.” She reached up with her own hand and hovered it lightly over her throat; almost too afraid to touch the raw skin there. 

Akihito did not know what to do. Kou and Takato, years ago, had been concerned that he was in an abusive relationship. But those injuries had only ever been caused by sex between him and Asami. This was on another level. “It was like he was a totally different person. Something was wrong. He would never hurt a member of his family like that.”

Donna took a wheezing breath which caused her to cough and Kou found that as his back in to the room, bringing a tray of water because he was not entirely sure how long any of them would be there for. “I had gone to speak with Asami earlier.” 

“Wait? Why were you talking to Asami?” Donna was still dressed in her “going out” clothes so he could only assume she spoke with the older man between the time he left the suite and when she was supposed to go out to eat but was now here. 

“He needs to tell you something. I won’t do it because it is not my place, but I told him he can’t keep you in the dark. That’s not fair.” Akihito could not help the swell of happiness in his chest. She was advocating for him, something no one did for a long time; not until he and Asami started to really get serious about one another. “When I got back to the suite, I can only assume Kirishima informed Tsuna of where I had been. And Tsuna just,” She paused. “Just blew up on me. I’ve never seen him like that. 

Akihito was about to ask what she was going to do when Donna started to rummage in her purse. While he watched her he noted she still wore the ring on her finger so it was not like she was completely kicked out of the family. That meant Tsuna regretted what he had done at least a tiny bit. And presumably he could still sense her within the city limits with that ring on her finger.

“I need to call Gokudera. He is Tsuna’s… let’s say he is Tsuna’s Kirishima.” Ah. Akihito understood right away. That meant Gokudera was the one making things happen behind the scenes; the “hard ass” if you will. “He is Tsuna’s right hand man, but he is most concerned for his safety first and foremost. I gotta tell him something is wrong with Tsuna.” 

There was another brief moment where she paused, her finger hovering over Gokudera’s contact and Akihito was still sitting in front of her on the coffee table. “Do you want me to speak for you? With you throat and all?” He asked and she nearly broke into tears of happiness. 

“You are reading my mind it seems. Gokudera is Japanese so you do not have to speak English with him. Please just tell him that something is wrong with Tsuna and we need him in Japan as soon as possible.” 

Akihito clicked the name before him on the phone screen. Yes he had taken calls for Asami once or twice but this was different. It took a few rings when the other person on the line picked up. Gokudera’s voice was far scratchier than Akihito had been expecting. “Donna? How is everything going?” 

Donna gave Akihito a shaky thumbs up. “This is Akihito Takaba. Donna is fine,” For the most part, he did not add. “She is having trouble talking but she is sitting right next to me.” 

That had Gokudera silent. For a second Akihito thought Gokudera hung up the phone but finally he spoke again. “And may I ask why she is not able to speak right now?” Akihito had to assume Gokudera knew who he was and that was why Gokudera was not flying off the handle. When he looked over at Donna, she shook her head, making an X with her hands to indicate she did not want that information divulged as of yet. 

“She is miming to me she does not want to tell you yet. She told me, however, that something is wrong with Tsuna and they need you here in Japan right away.” There was another beat of silence. Akihito could almost sense the anxiety building on both ends of the line. 

“I’m already in Tokyo. 

This time Donna jumped up from her seat and gasped out a noise that sounded like ‘What?!’ to Akihito but he could not tell for sure. Gokudera spoke up again. “That sounded like Donna. Donna, baby girl, I had a feeling something was wrong. I cannot explain it fully; but right when you four left, I got on a plane and followed. I am not staying at one of Asami’s places just so I can stay as something of a third party observer. Where are you right now baby?”

Donna collapsed onto the chair once again, Kou now rubbing her shoulder as she pushed her face into her hands and burst into tears of exhaustion. Akihito explained the situation, or at least where they were and that he really could not having Asami or Tsuna knowing what was going on with Donna. Gokudera agreed before telling him he would be there in less then thirty minutes before hanging up the phone. 

It was well under thirty minutes when there was another knock at the door. Kou was still rubbing comforting circles on Donna’s back as she quietly cried into her hands, clearly overly exerted emotionally from the day she had. When Akihito opened the door, he was face to chest with another tall mafia member. He stepped back and his jaw almost dropped. Gokudera was beautiful; ethereal. His skin was lighter than Akihito’s with pale, sea foam green eyes. His hair was silvery and tied up in a low pony tail. Quite clearly Gokudera was “off the clock” since he was in casual clothing; his red glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose while the motorcycle jacket fit perfectly over a plain white t-shirt. Long legs were tucked under dark jeans and those jeans were pushed into thick black combat boots. “I uh.” Akihito stepped out of the way and pointed further into the apartment. Gokudera thanked him before rushing pasted and back into the living room. 

Kou apparently had some sixth sense that night for he was already up and off the couch and Gokudera quickly took his place kneeling in between Donna’s. She was still crying as Gokudera cupped either side of her face. “What in the world happened?” Though Akihito had an inkling Gokudera already knew. 

“Tsuna… he hit me.” Well shit, Akihito thought, he did a lot more than just hit her. He beat the shit out of her. But that was not the time to bring that up; nor was it the place. Instead he watched, coming back into the living room just in time to see Gokudera reach up to her neck. His own hands wrapped around it and Akihito could not help but flush. It was so similar to what Asami did for him all those years ago; yet Gokudera was not squeezing. His palms simply hovered over the skin; and then they started to glow a yellow tone. 

He was using his flame. “What attribute is that?” Akihito asked, feeling like he was talking about pokemon even when Gokudera glanced at him.

“My main sky flame is Storm, but I have the ability to use a little of each aside from Sky. I need to heal her neck before I do anything else; or at least heal it enough so she does not have difficulty talking.” Kou was stunned, not knowing what the hell was going on but staring none the less. Akihito could admit that he himself was a little surprised and shocked. He had seen Mist, Sky, and Lightening in action so far. Now he was able to see, what was it? Sun? The glow seemed to match that planetary description. 

When he was done, he pulled away, resting his hands on her knees. “Thank you Gokudera.” She was still speaking at a quieter frequency than before the injury, but it was much better than pre-“magic” healing. Donna turned to Akihito as she rubbed her neck. “And I wanted to apologize again. It’s just I did not know where else I could go. I was thinking about going to Tsuna’s mothers place but I did not want to cause trouble with her. Plus, this may involve you as well.” 

“Wow wait what?” Now he was the one getting emotionally exhausted. None the less she nodded. 

“Sky flames can often be very vulnerable to corruption.”

“I’m still not following.” He walked forwards and took the seat across from her and Gokudera. Kou stood beside him, his arms crossed but staying silent and faithful none the less. Akihito was going to have to make him the biggest meal imaginable. 

Whatever Donna was building up to say, it clearly upset her. She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Asami is never going to do it, and this whole debacle pushed up the time table.” She got a quick glance in to Gokudera who nodded his head. Then she turned back to Akihito, her eyes boring into his. They really could be siblings. “ Asami, he is a Sky flame user; has been for as long as the Vongola has been working with him and presumedly since he was born. If something is wrong with Tsuna to such a degree, it is likely Asami could be in danger as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BA BA BUMMMMMM cliffhanger


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it has taken so long DX! Please don't kill me haha. But in December I did graduate from college haha! So there is that.

Akihito was shockingly calm after what she told him. Donna was quite surprised if she were telling the truth. She was expecting him to run out head first to save Asami; however he simply sat down quietly, allowing Donna and Gokudera to speak to one another while Kou hovered nervously in the background. At this point, they all found a spot around the coffee table. 

Donna had her face resting in her hands, exhausted and getting frustrated. “There are just too many variables floating about.” She said to any of them that would listen then give her something in return. “At this moment we only know about Tsuna’s issues and Asami may not even be affected by the same thing. Not to mention we don’t know what the problem is, who if anyone caused it, how to fix it.” She trailed off, getting her point across without having to go any further. The three men in the room understood. 

Gokudera stood, walking towards the front window and peaking out of the drawn curtains. “Is there a back entrance to this building?” He asked Kou. The younger male shook his head though. 

“There is a fire escape that leads to the roof and the front door. Those are the only two exits; well aside from the windows. There is that window,” He said, referring to the one Gokudera was standing in front of currently. “There is one in the kitchen, in the guest bedroom, and one in the master.” Gokudera hummed at that answer before turning and leaning against the wall beside it. 

Donna knew what he had been doing; making sure they had an escape if shit hit the fan, and Gokudera’s gut was always right. “We need to find out if there is a problem with Asami first. I’ll have to avoid Tsuna as much as possible, but you could interact with him.” Donna said to Gokudera before taking a deep breath and leaning back. “If Tsuna is the only one that is affected, we will explain what is going on then take him back to Italy. Reborn and Ryohei can help him.” This time she took a longer moment to pause. Her eyes narrowed at the hands in her lap. 

“The nightmare scenario is if Asami is ill as well. Gokudera, we have to find a way to check. You will have a better chance at-.”

“Let me do it!” Akihito all but exploded from the couch which had the three others jumping in surprise. “I can do it. He won’t hurt me; and I won’t be putting anyone else in danger.” Donna could not help but like his spunk, Akihito was a good guy and she could see the logic in his words and ideas if it were a normal situation but she shook her head. 

“That may be true,” Donna started, a little annoyed that she did not have the accurate flames to calm Akihito down. If only Yamamoto were there with her. He would know right away what to do. But now she was unsure if she could side with him. It was likely he would protect Tsuna at all cost; even if that meant cutting her down. “However if he is ill, he would not be acting as he usually does. The chances of him physically or mentally injuring you are far higher now than they were just days ago.” 

Gokudera stepped over, Akihito’s eyes switching to him. “I have to agree. Please, sit. I need to explain a few things.” Gokudera motioned for the blonde to relax and he did just that, thankfully for Donna. There was just something very impulsive about Akihito. She did not doubt that if it were in the past, he would have likely rushed out on his own after getting information like this. 

Kou looked absolutely enthralled as Gokudera started in. “Since the Vongola are as old and established as we are, that comes with certain responsibilities the rest of the underworld community then puts upon us. I play my official role as Tsuna’s right hand man, but I also play a more over arching role for many different families. There is something of a coalition among different organizations, and the Vongola heads it up. Because many of the leaders have spouses, they need protection of their own; since most of them do not have any sort of combat skills. That’s where I came in. I act as a body guard for the partners of different family heads. I would be your guard as well, however Asami tends to stay to himself so we were not aware of you until Xanxus started having more frequent contact with Asami.”

He stopped, leaning back against the couch. “I technically protect her as well however she has enough combat skills to put me on my ass half the time.” He said in a complete serious tone. Donna blinked and frowned, turning towards the light haired man before looking back at Akihito. 

For the first time during Gokudera’s little information dump, the blonde looked a little surprised. “Wait, you and Tsunayoshi?”

But Donna just shook her hands in front of her. “No no no. I don’t know why Tsuna has Gokudera guarding me, honestly; but that is beside the point. If Gokudera thinks its unsafe, then it is unsafe. Please Akihito, leave it to us. We will get to the bottom of it. If Tsuna is the only one sick, we will be out of your hair before you know it. “

She and Gokudera said their goodbyes to Kou and Akihito; figuring out how to make things seem normal as possible as they met up with Tsuna and Yamamoto again, she already knew Mukuro was more on her “side” than Tsuna’s so she did not have to worry about him. 

Little did Donna realize, right after she and Gokudera left the apartment, Kou was happily helping his best friend figure out a way to help Asami and the others through whatever in the world was going on. 

~’~

Akihito felt his heart pounding out of his chest as he made his way up the elevator to the top floor. That night, the night Donna had come to Kou’s, Akihito had stayed over at Kou’s. It wasn’t like he was afraid to go home, of course not. It was just that… he really started to think about it all. Asami was one of these mysterious “flame users”; not only that but he was a “big shot”, he was one with a Sky affinity. 

There was no doubt in Akihito’s mind that Asami was strong, powerful. He could do anything, physically or mentally. Asami could fight and sweet talk; he was the epitome of a bad ass. But… But he had seen what Tsuna did to Donna; and Donna was able to hold her own with these crazy strong guys. She had the shit kicked out of her; and Tsuna was apparently “the best of the best”. Akihito still did not know much about the Vongola, but from the little bits he was given, they sounded like they were in fact “combat oriented”. Whatever the hell that meant. Akihito could only imagine the assassins and the fighters in their ranks. 

A part of Akihito believed that Asami would never hurt him, not after what they had been through together. However, there was a voice in the back of his head, nagging at him as he exited the elevator and walked down the hallway to where Kirishima was sitting. The brunette gave Akihito a quick look before nodding, indicating that Asami was not in a meeting and he could go in. Over the years, the two of them had come to something of an understanding, even respecting one another. Akihito took a deep breath, passing the secretaries office and the outer desk he was currently sitting at. Once Akihito was standing before the door, he took another long breath; perhaps the longest one he had ever taken in his life. 

However long that would be after this meeting; but he couldn’t think about that. 

Without further ado, Akihito gave a quick few raps to the door with his knuckle before opening it; feeling quite like he was walking into the lions den. 

Immediately Akihito could smell a thick layer of cigar smoke; which he found odd right off the bat. Asami was one to partake in a cigar every now and then. However he did not smoke at work, well he smoked cigarettes but sure as hell didn’t smoke cigars. Two pairs of golden eyes stared back at him; Tsunayoshi sitting on one of the couches with his arms spread out over the top and his head leant back, one of the cigars between his teeth. Asami was behind his desk as per usually, leaning back in the chair they had fucked in more times than Akihito could count. 

“I was unaware you were coming Akihito.” Asami spoke, voice deep and almost scratchy from the cigar. It always changed like that when he partook. Akihito had once or twice with him but that was it. 

Akihito shuffled forwards, past Tsunayoshi who was looking at him with such a piercing gaze. There was nothing sexual about the look; it was more like Tsuna could see right into Akihito’s soul. 

Like he knew what Akihito was doing there and knew about the conversation with Donna and Gokudera. It made Akihito wonder if Gokudera had spoken with Tsunayoshi yet.

Either way he turned back to Asami, a small smile on his face though now that he was there he was rather unsure of what to say. 

Shockingly, the insecurity of his position and his words had Asami frowning; and Akihito could hear Donna’s words ringing ominously in his ear. 

_If it were a normal situation._

“I um. I just wanted to see how you were doing.” Akihito quickly got out, surprised he could even get that far. 

It did not appease Asami from the looks of it though. He tapped off the ashes of the cigar into a tray on his desk before he responded. “Akihito, you know you are not supposed to come into my work when you know I have guests.” 

Akihito already felt like he was going to be sick. He knew. He just knew right then that Donna had been right and that Asami was sick with whatever had hurt Tsuna. Akihito made his face look a little ashamed, a little like he just got a talking to when he was a kid and headed back towards the door with a nod and ‘I’ll see you later’. However he only had his hand on the door knob when Tsuna stopped him. 

“There is both lightening and storm residue on you.” He said, voice sounding strained. Akihito blinked before turning around and looking over at Tsuna. He had leaned forwards and was resting his elbows on his knees. The cigar was still in his mouth as he stared at Akihito, those golden eyes raking over his form. 

Shit. He should have known Tsuna would be more attuned to spotting those sort of things out. However, him being able to tell Akihito has just spent time with Donna and Gokudera? That was crazy. 

Asami blinked then turned to Akihito. There was no doubt in his mind Tsuna had shared with Asami what had been going on. Dread filled Akihito’s stomach. “What? What is this about Akihito?” 

Sometimes Akihito wished he would just listen to the people that knew what they were talking about. 

~’~

Donna was pleasantly surprised. After speaking with Kirishima, making sure to get him out of his work area, he was more than on board to make sure Asami was not sick. Kirishima himself was a Cloud flame user so that helped quite a bit. The more variants to flames Donna had on her team, the more likely their plan was to work. So they set out for a few days, Kirishima getting camera footage of Asami’s office to Donna; a live feed have you. Kirishima also got to work on Asami’s schedule which gave Gokudera and Donna enough room to work with. 

All the while Mukuro kept in the background, casting his illusions to make sure everything seemed…less suspicious let’s say. 

Kirishima got Donna into a small office the floor beneath Asami’s, computers and comm’s set up so she could stay in contact with Kirishima and Gokudera both. The plan was for Gokudera to go in; strike up conversation and gauge if Asami had the same problem. 

After the incident with Tsuna, Gokudera and Donna both played it as cool as they could. Mukuro disappeared right out of sight, though that was not strange in the slightest. 

Everything had been going so well. Gokudera just left to head up to Asami’s office and Donna was typing a message to Kirishima. However, he was quicker to respond than she was expecting. 

_Akihito just walked into the office. Was that a part of the plan?_

Donna wanted to slap that idiot upside the head. It absolutely was not part of the plan; and she should have known he was going to do something like that when they were talking in the apartment. He seemed so calm but the tension had been bubbling underneath the surface. She frowned and flipped over to the screen. There he was, speaking with Asami. Donna saw him look over to the side of the office right out of shot of the camera and she could not help but wonder what he was looking at. Asami should have been the only one in there. They did not speak long. Akihito was then walking back towards the door but he did not leave, instead looking over towards the same section of the room. Even from where she was sitting she could feel the tension in the air; not only from how tight Akihito looked but also from the way Asami looked. She knew she needed to get in there with Gokudera.

It looked like they had their answer without even speaking to Asami. So she jumped up and sprinted down the hallway towards the elevator. She jumped out once it hit the top floor and was actually able to catch Gokudera who was still in the hallway walking towards the office. “We got a problem! Akihito is in there!” She shouted and then they were both sprinting down the hallway. Kirishima was up as well, a gun in hand; though she doubted that was necessary. Gokudera was the first to the door and when he tried to open it, it wouldn’t budge. That lead to both her and Gokudera throwing their shoulder into the door as hard as they could in hopes of busting it down. When nothing happened, she turned to the silver haired male. 

“Uri! You brought Uri right?” She was frantic. How could Akihito have been so stupid? She warned him! And now there was a glaring possibility of him getting injured or even worse, losing his life. 

Gokudera nodded, igniting the flame on his wring and then opening his Box weapon. Uri popped out after a bright light engulfed the room. While Gokudera infused Sun flames with Uri, she turned to Kirishima. “Shoot the hinges on the door! It will make it easier for Uri to knock it down.” Kirishima did just that, and then Uri was ready; having grown to the size of a giant leopard beside Gokudera. 

With a command from Gokudera, the cat jumped forwards and the door flew into the room; though it did not go as far as any of them expected. 

They entered to find a wall of crystalized Sun flames bisecting the room in two; Akihito on one side with his eyes wide and mouth open, and Asami and Tsuna on the other with about the same expression. 

There was no doubt in Donna’s mind about one thing. She needed to get Akihito out of Japan and to Italy. He had Sun flame affinity and was extremely gifted with them at that. 


End file.
